IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


I 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


LA 

tii 

u 
u 

•ii 


|2A 

112 

14.0 


25 
2.2 
2.0 


US 

U     |,.6 


d^ 


'/// 


—  150mm 


/APPLIED  A  IM/1GE  .  Inc 

^S  1853  East  Main  Street 
.^S"^  Rochester.  NY  i-;609  USA 
^^^S  Phone:  716/482-0300 
.='.^=  Fax:  716/288-5989 

0 1993.  Apphad  Imags.  (nc  .  AH  Rtg^lt  RMOfvad 


^ 


\ 


-q-^ 


"^ 


<> 


^^  -^\  ^\ 


'^ 


CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(IMonographs) 


ICIMH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographles) 


Canadian  Inttituta  for  Historical  IMicroraproductions  /  institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


\ 


\ 


^ 


l^^t 


TMtiniMi  Mid  Bibliographic  Notn  /  NoMi  MchnisuM  •!  MMiotraphiqyM 


Tht  Instilutt  h«i  «n«mpit(i  to  obtain  tha  bati  original 
copy  availabla  tor  lilmmn.  Faaturat  of  this  copy  which 
may  ba  bibliofliiiphically  wniqua,  which  may  altar  any 
of  tha  imagai  in  tht  reproduction,  or  which  may 
Mgnif icantly  changit  th«  utual  method  of  filming,  ara 
chackad  ImiIow. 


I     A  Coloured  covtrt/ 
LMJ  Couvarturt  d«  coulcur 


□  Covari  damagad/ 
Couvartura  andommagaa 


n 
0 

GZl 

n 


Covart  reiterad  and/or  laminated/ 
Ceuvarture  reitaurae  et/ou  pellicula 

Cover  title  mitttng/ 

La  litre  de  couverture  manqua 


CotOMred  maps/ 

Car  tat  geographiquaf  en  coulaur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  Mwe  or  black)/ 
Encra  de  cou^eur  (i.e.  autre  qua  bleue  eu  noire) 


Coloured  platei  and/or  illuitrationt/ 
Plartchet  et/ou  illuttrationi  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  maurial/ 
Nelie  avec  d'autre*  documents 


□  Tight  bi.iding  may  cause  ihadowi  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  raliure  Mrree  peut  cautar  da  i'embre  ou  de  la 
diitertion  la  long  de  la  marge  interieura 


D 


Blank  leave*  added  during  rattoration  may  appear 
within  tha  text.  Whenever  powiMa.  thaia  have 
been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II M  peut  que  certaina*  pages  blanches  aiouttaa 
ion  d'une  resuuration  apparaitiant  dam  la  taxia, 
mail,  iertque  cela  etait  postiMa.  cat  pages  n'ent 
pat  eta  filmeet. 


L'inttiiui  a  mierafilml  la  maillawr  cxamplaiia  qu'tl 

Iwi  a  M  pottibki  da  ta  precurar.  Las  dAuils  da  cat 

exempUira  qui  tont  poMl4tra  uniques  du  poitkt  da  aiM 

biMiegraphtqua.  qui  pauvani  modif iar  una  image 

raproduita.  oy  qui  pauvant  axiger  una  modification 

dans  la  M««thoda  nermala  da  f  ilmaga  som  MiquM 
ci-dauous. 

□  Coloured  pages/ 
ffeges  de  eoulaur 


DS: 


□  Paget  lastorod  and/or  laminated/ 
Pftgat  rastaufias  at/ou  paliiculAat 


0 


Pages  diteelourad.  stained  or  foxod/ 
Pages  dteetorAas.  tachaiiM  ou  piquaas 


IZJ 


Additional  comments:/ 
Coinmentairas  supplementaires: 


Pagaa  wholly  obacurad 
possible  ftsaga. 


□  PagtsdatMbad/ 
Ptogasditashias 

r^Showthreugb/ 
L.J  Transparonoa 

□  Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Oualit*  inigaia  da  I'imprassion 

□  Continuous  pagination/ 
Pagination  continu* 

0  Includes  indexUs)/ 
Comprandun  (das)  index 

Title  on  header  taken  from:/ 
Le  titft  de  i'on«t*ta  proviant: 

□  Title  page  of  issua/ 
Pftga  da  tiua  da  la  livraison 

□  Caption  of  issue/ 
Tina  da  depart  da  l«  livraison 

□  Masthead/ 
Ganirkiua  (piriodiquas)  de  la  livraison 

by  tUsuot  havo  boon  roftlaed  to  onauro  tho  boat 


This  item  it  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  betow/ 

Ca  document  est  filmi  au  mux  de  reduction  indiqui  ci-dettout. 


1QX 

14X 

18X 

Z2X 

2iX 

MX 

2 

12X 


liX 


20X 


24X 


2IX 


Ux 


The  copy  filmad  here  hes  been 
to  the  generosity  of: 


^produced  thanks 


ItMk  Walton  Killam  Mtmorial  Library 
DalhoMiia  Univartity 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  boat  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contrac*  specifications. 


Or^yinal  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropsriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^-(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  '<iproduit  grAce  A  la 
g*n«rosit*  de: 

Itaak  Walton  Killam  M«:mot      Library 
Dalhousia  Univartity 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  *t*  reproduites  avec  ie 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettetii  de  l'exemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avec  ies  conditions  du  contrat  de 
film^^ge. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim«e  sont  fiim«s  en  commenpant 
par  Ie  premier  plat  et  en  tarminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  cumporto  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iliustration,  soit  par  ie  second 
plat,  salon  Ie  cas.  Tous  ies  sutres  exemplaires 
origineux  sont  fiimAs  en  commenpant  par  la 
premlAre  pege  qui  eomporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustretion  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  Ie 
cas:  la  symbols  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  Ie 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmfo  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff«rents. 
Lorsque  Ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  saul  cMchA,  il  est  film*  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  k  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  baa,  en  prenant  Ie  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 


5 


6 


^^ 


%cJUf^ 


^^OrXjOL^y^ 


/r9r 


■I 


f 


II 


in 


J 


\ 


ni 


KOREA 

"tr    Neighb 


ors 


Varr 
Vcc 


4i.vrofTravt|,with 

on:\r  of  rhe   Kec(  nt 

and     Present 


itry 


sirud. 


on    (»f    the    C 


our 


h 

< 

a. 

O 

'A 

U 

< 

H 
0. 

0 

a: 

Vi 

n 


m 


I^aWIa   B.rd   Bishop,   F.R.CJ.S. 

J  Prrfare  ^y 

'^'"^  ^'  ^     HillitT,  K.C.M.G. 


l»tr 


and  M  _rr**'*»  '^y  »fw  Author. 

»"o  *  r      '*#«ii«te^  ,nd  Index 


HK      ( 


lORONTO 

1-lcmn^    «.   Ki.cil   Company 


M  DOBC  1^ 


t » 


H 

a. 
< 

O 

'A 

U 
H 

o 

!/; 

aq 

•/■; 

OS 


H 
a. 
< 

O 
is 

-J 
a: 

H 

o 
I 

tr. 

I— I 

05 


PS 

657 


KOREA 

And    Her    Neighbors 

A  Narrative  of  Travel,  with 
an  Account  of  the  Recent 
Vicissitudes  and  Present 
Position    of   the    Country 

By 
Isabella  Bird  Bishop,   F.R.G.S. 

Author  0/  "Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Jal>an,"  ,U. 

With  a  Preface  by 

Sir  Walter  C.  Hillier,  K.C.M.G. 

Latt  Brithh  Comul-Gintral  for  Korta 

With  Illustrations  from  Photographs  by  the  Author, 
and  Maps,  Appendixes  and  Index 


11^ 


New  York    Chicago     Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revcll  Company 


M  DCCC  XCVIK 


CopyriRht   1897 

BY 

Plbmino  H.  Rbvkll  Company 


\ 


a\^ 


i\ 


Preface. 

I  have  been  honored  by  Mrs.  Bishop  with  an  invitation  to 
preface  her  book  on  Korea  with  a  few  introductory  remarks. 

Mrs.  Bishop  is  too  well  known  as  a  traveler  and  a  writer  to 
require  any  introduction  to  the  reading  public,  but  I  am  glad 
to  be  afforded  an  opportunity  of  indorsing  the  conclusions  she 
has  arrived  at  after  a  long  and  intimate  study  of  a  people  whose 
isolation  during  many  centuries  renders  a  description  of  their 
character,  institutions  and  peculiarities,  especially  interesting 
at  the  present  stage  of  their  history. 

Those  who,  like  myself,  have  known  Korea  from  its  first 
opening  to  foreign  intercourse  will  thoroughlv  apnreciate  the 
closeness  of  Mrs.  Bishop's  observation,  the  accuracy  of  her 
facts,  and  the  correctness  of  her  inferences.     The  facilities  en- 
joyed by  her  have  been  exceptional.     She  has  been  honored 
by  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  the  King  and  the  late 
Queen  in  a  degree  that  has  never  before  been  accorded  to  any 
foreign  traveler,  and  has  had  access  to  valuable  sources  of 
information  placed  at  her  disposal  by  the  foreign  community 
of  Seoul,  official,  missionary,  and  mercantile;  while  her  pres- 
ence m  the  country  during  and  subsequent  to  the  war  between 
Chma  and  Japan,  of  which  Korea  was.  in  the  first  instance,  the 
stage,  has  furnished  her  the  opportunity  of  recording  with  ac- 
curacy and  impartiality  many  details  of  an  episode  in  far  East- 
ern history  which  have  hitherto  been  clouded  by  misstatement 
and  exaggeration.     The  hardships  and  difficulties  encountered 
by  Mrs.  Bishop  during  her  journeys  into  the  interior  of  Korea 
have  been  lightly  touched  upon  by  herself;  but  those  who  know 


V 


/^ 


^  Preface 

how  great  they  were,  admire  the  courage,  patience  and  endur- 
ance that  enabled  her  to  overcome  them. 

It  must  be  evident  to  all  who  know  anything  of  Korea  that 
a  condition  of  tutelage,  in  some  form  or  another,  is  now  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  her  existence  as  a  nation.     The  nominal 
mdependence  won  for  her  by  the  force  of  Japanese  arms  is  a 
privilege  she  is  not  fitted  to  enjoy  while  she  continues  to  labor 
under  the  burden  of  an  administration  that  is  hopelessly  and 
8u;    rlatively  corrupt.     The  role  of  mentor  and  guide  exercised 
by  china,  with  that  lolcy  indifference  to  local  interests  that 
characterizes  her  treatment  of  all  her  tributaries,  was  under- 
token  by  Japan  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Chinese  armies  from 
Korea.     The  efforts  of  the  Japanese  to  reform  some  of  the 
most  goring  abuses,  though  somewhat  roughly  applied,  were 
undoubtedly  earnest  and  genuine;  but.  as  Mrs.  Bishop  has 
shown,   experience  was  wanting,   and  one   of  the  Japanese 
Agents  did  incalculable  harm  to  his  country's  cause  by  falling  a 
victim  to  the  spirit  of  intrigue  which  seems  almost  inseparable 
from  the  diplomacy  of  Orientals.    Force  of  circumstances  com- 
pelled Russia  to  take  up  the  task  begun  by  Japan,  the  King 
having  appealed  in  his  desperation  to  the  Russian  Representat 
tive  for  rescue  from  a  terrorism  which  might  well  have  cowed 
a  stronger  and  a  braver  man.     The  most  partial  of  critics  will 
admit  that  the  powerful  influence  wb!ch  the  presence  of  the 
King  m  the  house  of  their  Representative  might  have  enabled 
the  Russian  Government  to  exert  has  been  exercised  through 
their  Minister  with  almost  disappointing  moderation.     Never- 
theless, through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  M'Leavy  Brown 
LL.D..  head  of  the  Korean  Customs  and  Financial  Adviser  to 
the  Government,  an  Englishman  whose  great  ability  as  an 
organizer  and  administrator  is  recognized  by  all  residents  in 
the  farther  East,  the  finances  of  the  country  have  been  placed 
in  a  condition  of  equilibrium  that  has  never  before  existed; 
while  numerous  other  reforms  have  been  carried  out  by  Mr 
Brown  and  others  with  the  cordial  support  and  co-operation 
of  the  Russian  Minister,  irrespective  of  the  nationality  of  the 
agent  employed.  ' 


*» 


F 


Preface  « 

Much,  however  still  remains  to  be  done;  and  the  only  hope 
of  advance  .n  the  direction  of  progress-initiated,  it  is  only  fa^ 
to  remember,  by  Japan,  and  continued  under  Russian  auspices 
-^  to  mamtam  an  iron  grip,  which  the  Russian  Agents,  so  far. 

c^nLYh"  "°L'  *^'?'"'  ''^""  ''''''  J*P*"^««  predecessors  tc^ 
conceal  beneath  a  velvet  glove.  The  condition  of  Korean  set" 
tlera  m  Russian  territory  described  by  Mrs.  Bishop  shows  how 
capable  these  people  are  of  improving  their  condition  undeT 
w.e  and  paternal  rule;  and.  setting  all  political  consideratJon 
as.de.  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  1,rosperity  of  the  people 
and  the.r  general  comfort  and  happiness  wouW  be  mmrnset 
advanced  under  an  extension  of  this  patronage  by  one  Tothe^ 
-v.hzed  Power.  Without  some  form  of  paln4  or  contrt' 
call  .t  by  what  name  we  will,  a  lapse  into  the  oldln>ove  of  opl 

Trl^V'r""'  '"V"  -"--'^"^  n.iseries.lTTnevitabT 

M^.  B.shops  remadc^^n^mssionaorj^r^^       ^„d  , 
Korea^based^Uiejr  ^:^^  syi^Shiii^bser: 

va^TOSSf  of  great  value  to  those'^wh'^T^ n^'-o", 
to  arrive  at  a  correct  appreciation  of  Christian  enterprise  in 
these  remote  regions.     Descriptions  of  missionaries  and^dr 
domgs  are  too  often  marred  by  exaggemion^f  success  on  the 
one  hand,  which  are.  perhaps,  the  natural  olcome  Slthus^! 
asm.  and  harsh  and  frequently  unjust  criticisms  on  the  othe 
commonly  mdulged  in  by  those  who  base  their  conclusion; 
upon  observation  of  the  most  superficial  kind.     Speaking  f  om 
my  own  experience.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  clZ 
.nqu.0^  would  dispel  many  of  the  illusions  abou"^:  tL  futili  H 
missionary  work  that  are.  unfortunately,  too  common    and 
that  missionaries  would,  as  a  rule,  welcome  symrhet'icTn 
quny  mto  their  methods  of  work,  which  mosf  ofThem  wui 
frankly  admit  to  be  capable  of  improvement.    But.  whileTor 
ing  friendly  criticism,  they  may  reasonably  object  t^  be  iud^; 
by  those  who  have  never  taken  the  troubfe  toCdy^hi."  fj' 

TZ  '°  T"?'"'"^'^^^^  '"  '""^  ^•'i-^'  *hey  have  in  vie'w 
In  Ml..  Bishop  they  have  an  advocate  whose  testimony  Z 
be  commended  to  the  attention  of  all  who  are  disponed  to  ,2^ 
gard  missaonary  labor  as.  at  the  best,  useless  or  uT^e^^ 


4  Preface 

In  Korea,  at  all  events,  to  go  no  farther,  it  is  to  missionaries 
that  we  are  assuredly  indebted  for  almost  all  we  know  about 
the  country;  it  is  they  who  have  awakened  in  the  people  the 
desire  for  material  progress  and  enlightenment  that  has  now 
happily  taken  root,  and  it  is  to  them  that  we  may  confidently 
look  for  assistance  in  its  farther  development.    The  unacknowl- 
edged,  but  none  the  less  complete,  religious  toleration  that 
now  exists  throughout  the  country  affords  them  facilities  which 
are  being  energetically  used  with  great  promise  of  future  suc- 
cess.    I  am  tempted  to  call  attention  to  another  point  m  con- 
nection with  this  much-abused  class  of  workers  that  is,  I  think, 
often  lost  sight  of.  namely,  their  utility  as  explorers  and  pio^ 
neers  of  commerce.     They  are  always  ready— at  least  such  has 
been  my  invariable  experience— to  place  the  stores  of  their 
local  knowledge  at  the  disposal  of  any  one,  whether  merchant, 
sportsman,  or  traveler,  who  applies  to  them  for  information,' 
and  to  lend  him  cheerful  assistance  in  the  pursuit  of  his  ob- 
jects.   I  venture  to  think  that  much  valuable  information  as  to 
cha.  for  the  development  of  trade  could  be  obuined  by 

ChamL^.d  of  Commerce  if  they  were  to  address  specific  inqui- 
ries to  missionaries  in  remote  regions.  Manufacturers  are  more 
indebted  to  missionaries  than  perhaps  they  realize  for  the  intro- 
duction of  their  goods  and  wares,  and  the  creation  of  a  demand 
for  them,  in  places  to  which  such  would  never  otherwise  have 
found  their  way. 

It  is  fortunate  that  Mrs.  Bishop's  visit  to  Korea  was  so  op- 
portunely timed.  At  the  present  rate  of  progress  much  that 
came  under  her  observation  will,  before  long,  be  "improved" 
out  of  existence;  and  though  no  one  can  regret  the  disappear- 
ance of  many  institutions  and  customs  that  have  nothing  but 
their  antiquity  to  recommend  them,  she  has  done  valuable  serv- 
ice in  placing  on  record  so  graphic  a  description  of  experiences 
that  future  travelers  will  probably  look  for  in  vain. 


October,  1897. 


WALTER  C.  HILLIER. 


^ 


Author's  Prefatory  Note. 

for™^ed%"an  oi'rp°lJ'n°S\\'ur"';/e'r^'?''  '''i'  ^"'^  March.  ,897. 
Mongolian  races.'^  My^rTt'^^l'^y^f^'^^ 

Korea  is  the  most  uniJterest  ng  StWev^r  .'''*  *%P^"^*°"  '"»» 
ing  and  since  the  war  itspolitifal  oertnrhi?-  ^'^''''.'f'^  '"•  ^utdur- 
possible  destinies,  have  gTven  me'^Y.^^'n^^^^^^^ 
Korean  character  and  industry  as  I  « J  kM'"'*.'"^ '"  '^'  '^^ile 
in  Siberia,  have  enlightened  me'as  to  1^%^  ?»'^  ""***'':  •*""'«"  '"!« 
may  await  the  nation  in  the  f?tu?e  Ko~  *."?''  P°«^'bilities  which 
grip  on  all  who  reside  in  itsufficientlv^«    *»'^''"*''''""*'">y«rong 

°^f,rtf  which  at  firs?it  2S?oTb"ted'lyTn!p?re7"'°"''  ''''  ''^'^''"^ 

It  isa  difficu  t  country  to  wriie  no^„  '"'?"*?•  . 
reference  by  means  of  which  o'enTi"  ''T  '^"^  ^"""^  °'  ^ooks  of 
are  facts,  he  two  best  Ks  on  thSitrv  h*^^  • '"  rf"^'  ^'^'^  ''^P" 
within  the  last  few  years  in  co/^/^ ''*^'"» ''"ome  obsolete 
social  order  are  cSncewed  The  frL!?  *'"  P°"f'*=^'  '^^^d'''""  and 
each  fact  for  himselfrusually  th  oueh^'hT"^' h^^"^"/'^ '^'^'"'^r 
preter  ;  and  as  five  or  six  verLns  nf*«I  "^.^""n  ol  an  inter- 
equally  reliable  authoritL  friaulntlv  fi*  ^fP  «'^!"  ^^  apparently 
eigners.  the  only  course  .^AS^;.  5^h  ''^''**" "  °^  '^^  Nor- 
thern has  the  best  chance  of  Lfng  accurate      *^""'  "  '°  ""^''^  °* 

Kolra^To^/h^o^lrdu^ri'oSjrh^  "h^^^  ^°-'«"  ^-n^^s  in 

these,  who  know  the  extreme  %li*ri?  ^^"l^  *°  ^"*'"  *'•  It  «  by 
the  most  leniently  crUdsSl  wSS  1 ''''•»'^''^;  '''**  ^  ^''^'l  ^J 
have  fallen  into  nlistakes         '""="^«^«f'  ">  sp«te  of  carefulness,  I 

enSs"«?„"L%X^^o«:s1j;:'fro?".f  "^  r  *^-<=«"«  «Peri- 
whlch  were  corrected  from  Z^  /.  !°  '*'u"^    '  ^°°^  careful  nSt^s 
servations  of  residents  and  aT  I  w™*"  ^^  '^"^  ""^^  prolonged  ojl 
country  ;  but.  wiVh  re^rH  »^  •""""  *"=""  acquainted  with  the 

the  Ha;  as  I'am  thefi^stuayelS^wChT^  "^  '''!  ^^^'^  B^^"'h  °f 
have  to  rely  on  ray  obse^Ifj^)^  ^^-^^  reported  on  the  region.  I 
{he  same  lack  crrUrde7ni°es  o"n^;^n^';'T 
Uppei  Tai-deng.  My  ™tes  furnUh^i."?^^  °f  *?<=  *=°""try  on  the 
those  on  Seoul.  MaLS  and  Pri™--^!^  -^'^^^^  ''""  " 
contemporary  Korean  ^istVafe  ^^aW^-^o^o^f '^^^^^^^^^ 


Author's  Prcfotory  Note 


menu,  and  are  partly  derived  from  sources  not  usually  accessible. 

I  owe  very  much  to  the  kindly  interest  which  my  friends  in  Ko- 
rea  took  in  my  work,  and  to  the  encouragement  which  they  gave 
me  when  I  was  disheartened  by  the  difficulties  of  the  subject  and 
my  own  lack  of  skill.  I  gratefully  acknowledge  the  invaluable 
help  given  me  by  Sir  Walter  C.  Hillier,  K.C.M.G.,  H.B.M.  's  Consul. 
General  in  Korea,  and  Mr.  J.  M'Leavy  Brown,  LL.D.,  Chief  Com- 
missioner of  Korean  Customs;  also  the  aid  generously  bestowed 
by  Mr.  Waeber,  the  Russian  Minister,  and  the  Rev.  G.  Heber  Jones, 
the  Rev.  James  Gale,  and  other  missionaries.  I  am  also  greatly 
indebted  to  a  learned  and  careful  volume  on  Korean  Government,  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Wilkinson,  H.B.M. 's  Acting  Vice-Consul  at  Chemulpo, 
as  well  as  to  the  Korean  Repository  &nA  the  Seoul  Independent,  for  in- 
formation which  has  enabled  me  to  cornet  some  of  my  notes  on 
Korean  customs. 

Various  repetitions  occur,  for  the  reason  that  it  appears  to  me 
impossible  to  give  sufficient  emphasis  to  certain  facts  without  them; 
and  several  descriptions  are  loaded  with  details,  the  result  of  an 
attempt  to  fix  on  paper  customs  and  ceremonies  aestined  shortly  to 
disappear.  The  illustrations,  with  the  exceptions  of  three,  are  re- 
productions of  my  own  photographs.  The  sketch  map,  in  so  far  as 
my  first  journey  is  concerned,  is  reduced  from  one  kindly  drawn 
for  me  by  Mr.  Waeber.  The  transliteration  of  Chinese  proper 
names  was  kindly  undertaken  by  a  well-known  Chinese  scholar, 
but  unfortunately  the  actual  Chinese  characters  were  not  in  all 
cases  forthcoming.  In  justice  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  so  gen- 
erously aided  me,  I  am  anxious  to  claim  and  accept  the  fullest 
measure  of  personal  responsibility  for  the  opinions  expressed, 
which,  whether  right  or  wrong,  are  wholly  my  own. 

I  am  painfully  conscious  of  the  demerits  of  this  work,  but  believ- 
ing that,  on  the  whole,  it  reflects  fairly  faithfully  the  regions  of 
which  it  treats,  I  venture  to  present  it  to  the  public;  and  to  ask  for 
it  the  same  kindly  and  lenient  criticism  with  which  my  records  of 
travel  in  the  East  and  elsewhere  have  hitherto  been  received,  and 
that  it  maybe  accepted  as  an  honest  attempt  to  make  a  contribution 
to  the  sum  of  the  knowledge  of  Korea  and  its  people,  and  to  de- 
scribe things  as  I  saw  them,  not  only  in  the  interior  but  in  the 
troubled  political  atmosphere  of  the  capital. 


November,  i8gfj. 


ISABELLA  L.  BISHOP. 


f 

i 


Contents 


CMAPm  p^o. 

Introductory  Chapter 1 1 

I.  First  Impressions  of  Korea aj 

II.  First  Impressions  of  the  Capital 35 

III.  The  Kur-dong ^g 

IV.  Seoul,  the  Korean  Mecca 59 

V.  The  Sailing  of  the  Sampan 66 

VI.  On  the  River  of  Golden  Sand 71 

VII.  Views  Afloat gj 

VIII.  Natural  Beauty—The  Rapids 98 

IX.  Korean  Marriage  Customs 114 

X.  The  Korean  Pony— Korean  Roads  and  Inns  ...    121 

XI.  Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries 133 

XII.  Along  the  Coast geo 

XIII.  Impending  War— Excitement  at  Chemulpo  ....    177 

XIV.  Deported  to  Manchuria gge 

XV.  A  Manchurian  Deluge  — A  Passenger  Cart— An 

Accident 192 

XVI.  Mukden  and  its  Missions 199 

XVII.  Chinese  Troops  on  the  March 206 

XVIII.  Nagasaki— Wladivostok 313 

XIX.  Korean  Settlers  in  Siberia 223 

XX.  The  Trans-Siberian  Railroad 239 

XXI.  The  King's  Oath— An  Audience 245 

XXII.  A  Transition  Stage 261 

XXIII.  The  Assassination  of  the  Queen 269 

XXIV.  Burial  Customs 283 

XXV.  Song  do:  A  Royal  City 292 

XXVI.  The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield 301 

XXVII.  Northward  Ho  I ,20 

XXVIII.  Over  the  An-kil  Yung  Pass 330 

7 


'fl 


^  Contents 

CRArm 

XXIX.  Social  Position  or  Womin  .  .  .  *'*°' 

XXX.  Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  .  ...'."** 
XXXI.  The  H/ir-croppino  Edict  ^^ 

y^Y^JJ'  I""  ^•'°*°^'*"'">  Korean  Government  '.'.'.''   ll^, 
ttlWr'  ^''"<=*"o'*  and  Foreign  Trade.  ...  2' 

XXXIV.  D^MONisM  OR  Shamanism  ' 

Jl'lv^'  ^'*^"  *"*  D^MONISM  CONCLUDEi>.'    '.','.[''''    ^ 

XXXVI.  Seoul  in  1897  ....  *^ 

XXXVII.  Last  Words  on  Korea  ...'.**.' ^'^ 

Appendixes '  * ^*S 

Appendix  A._Mission  Statistic  fo'r  KoRiu' 1896.  *^' 
Appendix  B._Direct  Foreign  Trade  ok  Korea 

•896-95- 
Appendix  C._Return  ok  Principal  Articles  ok 

Export  for  the  years  1806-95 
Appendix  D._Population  ok  Treaty  Portc 
Appendix  E._Treaty  between  Japan  and  Russi>. 

WITH   REPLY  or  H.   E.,  the  KOREAN  MINISTER 
FOE  I'ORBIGN  AkKAIRS. 

Indbx 

475 


Paob 
.  338 

•  344 

•  359 

•  37« 
.  387 

•  399 
.  409 

•  427 

•  445 
.  461 


List  of  Illustrations. 


475 


Mrs.  Bishop's  Travklino  Party  *,        ***" 

Harbor  of  Chemulpo Frontispiece 

Gate  OF  Old  FusAN .'* ^'""'-*'    ^ 

Japanese  Miutarv  Cemeterv'.'chemu'lk;  .".'.■.*.■ Z)^    !« 

Turtle  Stone ^'^^   3* 

Gutter  Shop,  Seoul  *** 

The  Author's  Sampan.'  Han  R.ver f^"^  "** 

Korean  Peasants  at  Dinner '.'.'.' "^  ^ 

A  Korean  Lady *' 

The  Diamond  Mountains  "° 

Tombstones  of  Abbots.  Yu-ChOm'  Sa ^'^""'^  "*° 

Passenger  Cart,  Mukden.  . ,  '^^^^  ^^^ 

Temple  of  God  of  Literature*,  Mukden.' ." r-l^."-  ''' 

Gate  of  Victory.  Mukden.  . .  "^  ^ 

Chinese  Soldiers Facing  20% 

Wladivos  roK FaHng  210 

Russian  '•  Army."  Kr^^snove  "ceu> ^'^"^  "* 

Korean  Settler's  House ."."  * ^^""^  *^' 

Korean  Throne.  ,  *38 

SUMMER  PAVILION.  OK  ••  H^;:  ;V  CongRXT^lItIoNs"'' "  ' '2:;''^  ''' 

Royal  Library.  Kyeng-Pok  Palace  ' "  f"."^  ''* 

Facing  256 

9 


le 


List  of  Ilfdstrations. 


KoRCAN  Gentleman  in  c.o«;rt  Dress -g^ 

Place  op  the  Qukkn's  Cki     \tion 368 

Chil-Suno  Mon,  Seven  Star  Gate .^ 

Altar  at  Tomb  or  K.t-xe Z.V.' ■.■.'.'.'.■.  Ji^.^  3.9 

Russian  Settler's  House /-a...^  3,0 

Upper  Tai.D«no „    . 

Facing  33.} 

Russian  Officers.  Hun-Chun p^ 

South  Gate „    . 

Ftutng  413 

Seoul  and  Palace  Enclosure p^^^g  ^,3 

The  Kino  OF  Korea r.    . 

Facing  430 

Korean  Caput  Corps  and  Russian  Drill  Instructors. /a«V  434 

A  Street  in  Seoul ^    •         . 

Facing  436 

Korean  Policemen,  Old  and  New -^. 

'I 


9»ai 

ato 

•  •  •  • 368 

300 

...Fating  318 
. .  .Fadng  330 
...Facing  334 
. ,  .Facing  330 
...Facing  41a 
..Facing  438 
..Facing  430 
s. Facing  434 
.  .Facing  436 
444 


GENERAL  MAP  OF  K^rfa  AND  NEIQI 


The  Edmbur^  G«o|»«jiliical  JnaUtute 


Beniin^  H.  Hevdl  Conr;    ay; 


'  ^^  '^Qgg^  ^ND  NElGHBOURtNGjCQUNTRIES 


hi 


'I 


y 


K. 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER 

IN  the  winter  of  1894,  when  I  was  about  to  sail  for  Korea 
(to  which  some  people  erroneously  give  the  name  of  "  The 
Korea"),  many  interested  friends  hazarded  guesses  at  its  po- 
sition,—the  Equator,  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  Black  Sea 
being  among  them,  a  hazy  notion  that  it  is  in  the  Greek  Arch- 
ipelago cropping  up  frequently.  It  was  curious  that  not  one 
of  these  educated,  and,  in  some  cases,  intelligent  people  came 
within  2,000  miles  of  its  actual  latitude  and  longitude  I 

In  truth,  there  is  something  about  this  peninsula  which  has 
repelled  investigation,  and  until  lately,  when  the  establishment 
of  a  monthly  periodical,  carefully  edited.  The  Korean  Reposi- 
tory, has  stimulated  research,  the  one  authority  of  which  all 
writers,  with  and  without  acknowledgment,  have  availed  them- 
selves, is  the  Introduction  to  P6re  Ballet's  Histoire  de  /• 
Eglise  de  Koree,  a  valuable  treatise,  many  parts  of  which, 
however,  are  now  obsolete. 

If  in  this  volume  I  present  facts  so  elementary  as  to  provoke 
the  scornful  comment,  "  Every  schoolboy  knows  that,"  I  ven- 
ture to  remind  my  critics  that  the  larger  number  of  possible 
readers  were  educated  when  Korea  was  little  more  than  "a 
geographical  expression,"  and  had  not  the  advantages  of  the 
modern  schoolboy, •  whose  "up-to-date"  geographical  text- 
books have  been  written  since  the  treaties  of  1883  opened  the 
Hermit  Nation  to  the  world ;  and  I  will  ask  the  minority  to  be 


II 


./ 


12 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


^!) 


patient  with  what  may  be  to  them  "twice-told  tales"  for  the 
sake  of  the  majority,  specially  in  this  introduction,  which  is 
folTow      *°  ^^^  something  of  lucidity  to  the  chapters  which 

The  first  notice  of  Korea  is  by  Khordadbeh,  an  Arab  geog- 
rapher  of  the  ninth  century,  a.d.,  in  his  £ook  of  Roads  and 
Provinces,  quoted  by  Baron  Richofen  in  his  work  on  China, 
p.  575.    Legends  of  the  aborginal  inhabitants  of  the  peninsula 
are  too  mythical  to  be  noticed  here,  but  it  is  certain  that  it 
was  inhabited  when  Kit-ze  or  Ki-ja,  who  will  be  referred  to 
ater  introduced  the  elements  of  Chinese  civilization  in  the 
twelfth  century  b.c.     Naturally  that  conquest  and  subsequent 
immigrations  from  Manchuria  have  left  some  traces  on  the 
Koreans,  but  they  are  strikingly  dissimilar  from  both  their 
nearest  neighbors,  the  Chinese  and  the  Japanese,  and  there 
IS  a  remarkable  variety  of  physiognomy  among  them,  all  the 
more  noticeable  because  of  the  uniformity  of  costume.     The 
difficulty  of  identifying  people  which  besets  and  worries  the 
stranger  in  Japan  and  China  does  not  exist  in  Korea.     It  is 
true  that  the  obliquity  of  the  Mongolian  eye  is  always  present, 
as  well  as  a  trace  of  bronze  in  the  skin,  but  the  complexion 
varies  from  a  swarthy  olive  to  a  very  light  brunette. 

There  are  straight  and  aquiline  noses,  as  well  as  broad  and 
snub  noses  with  distended  nostrils;   and  though  the  hair  is 
dark,  much  of  it  is  so  disf-    .ly  a  russet  brown  as  to  require 
the  frequent  application  of  lampblack  and  oil  to  bring  it  to  a 
fashionable  black,  while  in  texture  it  varies  from  wiriness  to 
silkmess.     Some  men  have  full  moustaches  and  large  goatees 
on  the  faces  of  others  a  few  carefully  tended  hairs,  as  in  China! 
do  duty  for  both,  while  many  have  full,  strong  beards.     The 
mouth  IS  either  the  wide,  fuil-lipped.  gaping  cavity  constantly 
seen  among  the  lower  orders,  or  a  small  though  full  feature,  or 
thin-lipped  and  refined,  as  is  seen  continually  among  patricians. 
The  eyes,  though  dark,  vary  from  dark  brown  to  hazel ;  the 
cheek  bones  are  high;  the  brow,  so  far  as  fashion  allows  it  to 


Introductory   Chanter 


»3 


be  seen,  is  frequently  lofty  and  intellectual;  and  the  ears  are 
small  and  well  set  on.  The  usual  expression  is  cheerful,  with 
a  dash  of  puzzlement.  The  physiognomy  indicates,  in  its 
best  aspect,  quick  intelligence,  rather  than  force  or  strength 
of  will.     The  Koreans  are  certainly  a  handsome  race. 

The  physique  is  good.     The  average  height  of  the  men  is 
five  feet  iour  and  a  half »  inches,  that  of  the  women  cannot  be 
ascertained,  and  is  ^/Vproportionately  less,  while  their  figure- 
less  figures,  the  faults  of  which  are  exaggerated  by  the  ugliest 
dress  on  earth,  are  squat  and  broad.     The  hands  and  feet  of 
both  sexes  and  all  classes  are  very  small,  white,  and  exquisitely 
formed,  and  the  tapering,  almond-shaped  finger-nails  are  care- 
fully attended  to.     The  men  are  very  strong,  and  as  porters 
carry  heavy  weights,  a  load  of  loo  pounds  being  regarded  as 
a  moderate  one.     They  walk  remarkably  well,  whether  it  be  the 
studied  swing  of  the  patrician  or  the  short,  firm  stride  of  the 
plebeian  when  on  business.     The  families  are  large  and  healthy 
If  the  Government  estimate  of  the  number  of  houses  is  correct 
the  population,  taking  a  fair  average,  is  from  twelve  to  thirteen 
millions,  females  being  in  the  minority. 

Mentally  the  Koreans  are  liberally  endowed,  specially  with 
that  gift  known  in  Scotland  as  "gleg  at  the  uptak."  The  for- 
eign teachers  bear  willing  testimony  to  their  mental  adroitness 
and  quickness  of  perception,  and  their  talent  for  the  rapid  ac- 
quisition of  languages,  which  they  speak  more  fluently  and 
with  a  far  better  accent  than  either  the  Chinese  or  Japanese. 
They  have  the  Oriental  vices  of  suspicion,  cunning,  and  un- 


Highest. 

Lowest. 

Average. 

Height  . 

Size  round  chest      . 
head    . 

5  ft.  "X  in- 
39H  in. 
23X  " 

4  ft.  9}4  in. 
27  in. 
ao  «• 

5  ft-  4}i  in. 

31  >n. 
2i;4  « 

. .. 

H  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

truthfulness,  and  trust  between  man  and  man  is  unknown 
Women  are  sec  uded,  and  occupy  a  very  inferior  posit  on 

The  geography  of  Korea,  or  Ch'ao  Hsien^'Cnin^r 
Calm,"  or  "Fresh  Morning"),  is  simple.  It  i  a  deS 
pemnsula  to  the  northeast  of  China,  measuring  ro'ghly  600 
m>les  from  north  to  south  and  135  from  east  ^o  wes' The 
coast  hne,s  about  1,740  miles.  It  lies  between  34°  i  '  N  to 
43°  N.  latitude  and  124°  »8'  E   to  t,oO  ,,/i?  ,       •   ', 

has  an  estimated  area  of  upwards  of  80  '^  "^""f"'  '"^ 

upwaras  ot  80,000  square  miles   h^ 

mg  somewha,  smaller  than  Great  Bri.ain.    Bounded  on'  rt 
north  and  west  by  the  Tu-men  and  Am-nok,  or  Ya!u  rive! 

Zt«ZV:  r  ""'  """"'■'"  '"'  Chinese'empirl  :a"d  "; 
tne  YelloBT  Sea,  us  eastern  and  southern  limit  is  the  S.,  Z 

Japan,  a  "silver  streak,"  which  ha,  no.  b«n    ts  salv^Hon 

JlJ^^\  '^,""''"?'  """  "'«  ■■"  f"""'"  San,  the  "White- 
Headed  Mountain,"  from  which  runs  southwards  ,  „ea, 
mounun,  range,  throwing  off  numerous  lateral  'Z  itse  f  a 
rugged  spme  which  divides  the  kingdom  into  t™  ,h^ 
eastern  d,v,s,„n  being  a  con,parat,vely  narrow  stripT^een 
he  range  and  the  Sea  of  Japan,  difficult  of  acce^  bu,  e  ° 
.«mely  fertUe;  while  the  western  section  is  compcS  o   ru" 
ged  h,lls  and  .nnumerahle  rich  valleys  and  slope,,  well  wate"i 
and  admirably  suited  for  agriculture.     Cra,^  of  voka^c^ 
long  s,nce  passed  into  repose,  lava  beds,  and  other  Ins^^ 
volcanic  action,  are  constantly  met  with  "^'gMof 

The  lakes  are  few  and  very  small,  and  not  many  of  the 
treams  are  navigable  for  more  than  a  few  miles  from  the  sla 
^e  exceptions  being  the  noble  Am-nok,  the  Tai-donHhe 
Nak-tong,  the  Mok-po,  and  the  Han,  which  last,  risit  L 
Kang-won  Do,  30  miles  from  the  Sea  of  Japan,  after  canine 
he  country  nearly  in  half,  falls  i„,o  the  ia  arChelCon 
the  west  c,»st,  and,  in  spite  of  many  and  dangeroiisTpM^  ^s 
a  valuable  highway  for  commerce  for  over  .,0  „««  ^     ' 


I  1 


Introductory   Chapter 


15 

Owing  to  the  configuration  of  the  peninsula  there  are  few 
good  harbors,  but  those  which  exist  are  open  aU  the  t^Uer 
The  finest  are  Fnsan  and  VVon-san,  on  Broughton  B.v      Che 
mulpo,  which   as  the  port  of  Seoul,  takes  tVe  fiL  Ice  can 
hardly  be  called  a  harbor  at  all,  the  "outer  harbor  'where 
large  vessels  and  ships  of  war  lie,  being  nothing  bet t^  tLn  a 
roadstead,  and  the  "inner  harbor."  close  to  th'e  to  n   in  the 
fierce  t.deway  of  the  estuary  of  the  Han,  is  only  T22  for 
five  or  S.X  vessels  of  small  tonnage  at  a  time.     T  e  e    t  '0^ 
s  steep  and  rocky,  the  water  is  deep,  and  the  tide  r     s  a^d 
falls  from  i  to  .  feet  only.      On  the  southwest  and  we  tco^ts 
the  tide  rises  and  falls  from  26  to  38  feet  I 

of?h?M'T'°f ''''^'''"'■^'"^^'^^b'«^^<^hipelago.  Some 
of  the  islands  are  bold  masses  of  arid  rock,  the  resort  of  s^a 

wlgL^^^^^^^^^  r  '"'^^'''«^'  -hue  the  ad  c 

of  the  nvers  render  parts  of  the  coastline  dubious. 

Korea  is  decidedly  a  mountainous  countrv  and  hn«  r 
plains  deserving  the  nam-     t    .1.        """""try.  and  has  few 

groups  with  defini  .C  u  '^'  "^"'^  '^'''  ^^«  '"^""tain 
g  oups  with  definite  centres,  the  most  remarkable  being  Paik  tu 
San,  which  attains  an  altitude  of  over  R  ««    /  ^emg  i-aik-tu 

and  precipitous  hi  Is  Jt^erd'r/°"^''^  '°""^^'^^ 
^^    /      J  '  ^''"^r  denuded  or  covered  wifh  /•A/»a 

C':.:  a"Th  """■"'"''  ""->■''  -•■  fe'^sW  v^^a" 

tain  and  svlvl  ".^l  Jf  °"  """'">  "'"''^"^  ""»>"■ 
southern  cc2  dTsI^  f  ""'  "*  "  ''''"'=°*  '<"'«<''  "" 
infertile  pS'  ^'"""^""^  '"  P'ac«  into  small  and  often 


m 


i6 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


The  geological  formation  is  fairly  simple.  Mesozoic  rocks 
occur  in  Hwang-hai  Do,  but  granite  and  metamorphic  rocks 
largely  predominate.  Northeast  of  Seoul  are  great  fields  of 
lava,  and  lava  and  volcanic  rocks  are  of  common  occurrence 
in  the  north. 

The  climate  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  and  healthiest 
in  the  world.  Foreigners  are  not  afflicted  by  any  climatic 
maladies,  and  European  children  can  be  safely  brought  up  in 
every  part  of  the  peninsula.  July,  August,  and  sometimes  the 
first  half  of  September,  are  hot  and  rainy,  but  the  heat  is  so 
tempered  by  sea  breezes  that  exercise  is  always  possible.  For 
nine  months  of  the  year  the  skies  are  generally  bright,  and  a 
Korean  winter  is  absolutely  superb,  with  its  still  atmosphere, 
its  bright,  blue,  uncleuded  sky,  its  extreme  dryness  without 
asperity,  and  its  crisp,  frosty  nights.  From  the  middle  of 
September  till  the  end  of  June,  there  are  neither  extremes  of 
heat  nor  cold  to  guard  against. 

The  summer  mean  temperature  at  Seoul  is  about  75°  Fah- 
renheit, that  of  the  winter  about  33°;  the  average  rainfall 
36.03  inches  in  the  year,  and  the  average  of  the  rainy  season 
21.86  inches.'  July  is  the  wettest  month,  and  December  the 
driest.  The  result  of  the  abundant  rainfall,  distributed  fairly 
through  the  necessitous  months  of  the  year,  is  that  irrigation 
is  necessary  only  for  the  rice  crop. 

The  fauna  of  Korea  is  considerable,  and  includes  tigers  and 
leopards  in  great  numbers,  bears,  antelopes,  at  least  seven 
species  of  deer,  foxes,  beavers,  otters,  badgers,  tiger-cats,  pigs, 
several  species  of  marten,  a  sable  (not  of  much  value,  how- 
ever), and  striped  squirrels.  Among  birds  there  are  black 
eagles,  found  even  near  Seoul,  harriers,  peregrines  (largely 
used  for  hawking),  pheasants,  swans,  geese,  spectacled  and 
common  teal,  mallards,  mandarin  ducks,  turkey  buzzards  (very 
shy),  white  and  pink  ibis,  sparrow-hawks,  kestrels,  imperial 

'These  averages  are  only  calculated  on  observations  taken  during  a 
period  of  three  and  a  half  years. 


Introductory   Chapter 


»7 


Fah- 


cranes,  egrets,  herons,  curlews,  nightjars,  redshanks,  bunt- 
ings, magpies  (common  and  blue),  orioles,  wood  larks, 
thrushes,  redstarts,  crows,  pigeons,  doves,  rooks,  warblers, 
wagtails,  cuckoos,  halcyon  and  bright  blue  kingfishers,  jays, 
snipes,  nut-hatches,  gray  shrikes,  pheasants,  hawks,  and  kites. 
But  until  more  careful  observations  have  been  made  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  which  of  the  smaller  birds  actually  breed  in 
Korea,  and  which  make  it  only  a  halting-place  in  their  annual 
migrations. 

The  denudation  of  the  hills  in  the  neighborhood  of  Seoul, 
the  coasts,  the  treaty  ports,  and  the  main  roads,  is  impressive, 
and  helps  to  give  a  very  unfavorable  idea  of  the  country.  It 
is  to  the  dead  alone  that  the  preservation  of  anything  deserv- 
ing the  name  of  timber  in  much  of  southern  Korea  is  owing. 
But  in  the  mountains.of  .he  northern  and  eastern  provinces, 
and  specially  among  those  which  enclose  the  sources  of  the 
Tu-men,  the  Am-nok,  the  Tai-dong,  and  the  Han,  there  are 
very  considerable  forests,  on  which  up  to  this  time  the  wood- 
cutter has  made  little  apparent  impression,  though  a  good  deal 
of  timber  is  annually  rafted  down  these  rivers. 

Among  the  indigenous  trees  are  the  Abies  excelsa,  Abies 
microsperma,  Pinus  sinensis,  Pinus  pinea,  three  species  of 
oak,  the  lime,  ash,  birch,  five  species  of  maple,  the  Acantho- 
panax  ricinifolia,  Rhus  semipinnata,  Elceagnus,  juniper, 
mountain  ash,  hazel.  Thuja  Orientalis  (?),  willow,  Sophora 
Japonica  (?),  hornbeam,  plum,  peach,  Euonymus  alatus,  etc. 
The  flora  is  extensive  and  interesting,  but,  with  the  exception 
of  the  azalea  and  rhododendron,  it  lacks  brilliancy  of  color. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  showy  clematis,  and  the  mille- 
fteur  rose  smothers  even  large  trees,  but  the  climber /)ar  ex- 
cellence of  Korea  is  the  Ampelopsis  Veitchi.  The  economic 
plants  are  few,  and,  with  the  exception  of  \\i^  Panax  quinque- 
folia  (ginseng),  the  wild  roots  of  which  are  worth  II15  per 
ounce,  are  of  no  commercial  value. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  Korea  is  a  vexed  question.    Probably 


.i 


i 


18 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


between  the  view  of  the  country  as  an  El  Dorado  and  the  scep- 
ticism as  to  the  existence  of  underground  treasure  at  all,  the 
mean  lies.  Gold  is  little  used  for  personal  ornaments  or  in  the 
arts,  yet  the  Korean  declares  that  the  dust  of  his  country  is 
gold ;  and  the  unquestionable  authority  of  a  Customs'  report 
states  that  gold  dust  to  the  amount  of  1^1,360,279  was  exported 
in  1896,  and  that  it  is  probable  that  the  quantity  which  left 
the  country  undeclared  was  at  least  as  much  again.  Silver  and 
galena  are  found,  copper  is  fairly  plentiful,  and  the  country  13 
rich  in  undeveloped  iron  and  coal  mines,  the  coal  being  of 
excellent  quality.  The  gold-bearing  quartz  has  never  been 
touched,  but  an  American  Company,  having  obtained  a  con- 
cession, has  introduced  machinery,  and  has  gone  to  work  in 
the  province  of  Phyong-an. 

The  manufactures  are  unimportant.  The  best  productions 
are  paper  of  several  qualities  made  from  the  Brousonettia 
Fapyrifera,  among  which  is  an  oiled  paper,  like  v«llum  in 
appearance,  and  so  tough  that  a  man  can  be  raised  from  the 
ground  on  a  sheet  of  it,  lifted  at  the  four  corners,  fine  grass 
mats,  and  split  bamboo  blinds. 

The  arts  are  nii. 

Korea,  or  Ch'ao  Hsien,  has  been  ruled  by  kings  of  the  pres- 
ent dynasty  since  1392.  The  monarchy  is  hereditary,  and 
though  some  modifications  in  a  constitutional  direction  were 
made  during  the  recent  period  of  Japanese  ascendency,  the 
sovereign  is  still  practically  absolute,  his  edicts,  as  in  China, 
constituting  law.  The  suzerainty  of  China,  recognized  since 
very  remote  days,  was  personally  renounced  by  the  king  at  the 
altar  of  the  Spirits  of  the  Land  in  January,  1895,  and  the  com- 
plete independence  of  Korea  was  acknowledged  by  China  in 
the  treaty  of  peace  signed  at  Shimonos6ki  in  May  of  the  same 
year.  There  is  a  Council  of  State  composed  of  a  chancellor, 
five  councillors,  six  ministers,  and  a  chief  secretary.  The  de- 
cree of  September,  1896,  which  constitutes  this  body,  an- 
nounces the  king's  absolutism  in  plain  terms  in  the  preamble. 


Introductory   Chapter 


»9 

The  rerenue,  which  is  amply  sufficient  for  .11  i.»i.:     . 
P«..ses,  is  derived  from  cJZ^"2Z°XTT"^: 
honest  management  of  office,^  lent  bv   hr^r         ,  "  '"'' 

Maritime  Customs-  a  land  , a,  of  «  ""  '"''^"' 

fcrtii.  *    ,  ">""»•  a  land  tax  of  (6  on  every  fertile  irt/lit 
fertile  ij,,/  be.ng  estimated  at  about  6j<  acr«l  Tnrt  .,    ' 
.veryn,oun.ai„  ,y.l,  a  household  tax  of  60  c"  «";' h^^"" 

hat  year  Japan  forced  a  treaty  upon  her  andintSsrA-      c 
lowed  with  »« Tr,^-      J  T-       .  '      ^ '"  '°°2  China  fol- 

luwca  witn    '  Jrade  and  Fronter  Reeulatinns"     Tk    tt  •     , 

.at«  ne^tiated  a  treaty  in  .88.,  cTa^B ri    in  and  Ge™!: 
with  as  a„  fndependen.    taTe  Tr"'  .''""^  ""  '"^"O 

After  the  treaties  were  signed  a  swarm  «f  r     • 
atives  settled  down  ,,nnn  i        ^  ,  of  foreign  represent- 

housed    n  hliorrn,  *''  '^P'*^''  ^'^"^  t'^ree  of  them  are 

British  Mi    seraTpelt^^^^^^^^^  ^'^e 

Court    and  BrLfn  I     ^      accredited  also  to  the  Korean 

Russi  rn^  A^      ,  t  Lrntd'T'^^"^^^'-    J^P-' 

a  Charge  d'Affaires  anTr  I     by  Ministers,  France  by 

ge    Affaires,  and  Germany  by  a  Consul.     China,  which 


:| 


iBJ 


20 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


has  been  tardy  in  entering  upon  diplomatic  relations  with  Korea 
since  the  war,  placed  her  subjects  under  the  protection  of  the 
British  Consul-General. 

Until  recently,  the  coinage  of  Korea  consisted  of  debased 
copper  cash,  500  to  the  dollar,  a  great  check  on  business  trans- 
actions; but  a  new  fractional  coinage,  of  which  the  unic  is  a 
accent  piece,  has  been  put  into  circulation,  along  with  5 -cent 
nickel,  <^-cash  copper,  and  \-cash  brass  pieces.  The  fine  Jap- 
anese yen  or  dollar  is  now  current  everywhere.  The  Dai  Ichi 
Gingo  and  Fifty-eighth  Banks  of  Japan  afford  banking  facili- 
ties in  Seoul  and  the  open  ports. 

In  the  treaty  ports  of  Fusan,  Won-san,  and  Chemulpo,  there 
were  in  January,  1897,  11,318  foreign  residents  and  266  for- 
eign business  firms.  The  Japanese  residents  numbered  10,71 1, 
and  their  firms  230.  The  great  majority  of  the  American  and 
French  residents  are  missionaries,  and  the  most  conspicuous 
objects  in  Seoul  are  the  Roman  Cathedral  and  the  American 
Methodist  Episcopal  Chuich.  The  number  of  British  subjects 
in  Korea  in  January,  1897,  was  65,  and  an  agency  of  a  British 
firm  in  Nagasaki  has  recently  been  opened  at  Chemulpo.  The 
approximate  number  of  Chinese  in  Korea  at  the  same  time  was 
2,500,  divided  chiefly  between  Seoul  and  Chemulpo.  There 
is  a  newly-instituted  postal  system  for  the  interior,  with  post- 
age stamps  of  four  denominations,  and  a  telegraph  system, 
Seoul  being  now  in  communication  with  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  roads  are  infamous,  and  even  the  main  roads  are  rarely 
more  than  rough  bridle  tracks.  Goods  are  carried  everywhere 
on  the  backs  of  men,  bulls,  and  ponies,  but  a  railroad  from 
Chemulpo  to  Seoul,  constructed  by  an  American  concession- 
aire, is  actually  to  be  opened  shortly. 

The  language  of  Korea  is  mixed.  The  educated  classes  in- 
troduce Chinese  as  much  as  possible  into  their  conversation, 
and  all  the  literature  of  any  account  is  in  that  language,  but  it  is 
of  an  archaic  form,  the  Chinese  of  1,000  years  ago,  and  differs 
completely  in  pronunciation  from  Chinese  as  now  spoken  in 


Introductory   Chapter  2 1 

China.     En-mun,  the  Korean  script,  is  utterly  despised  by  the 
eclucated,   whose  sole  education   is  in  the  Chinese  classics 
Korean  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  language  of  East- 
ern Asia  which  possesses  an  alphabet.     Only  women,  children, 
and  the  uneducated  used  the  En-mun  till  January,  1895,  when 
a  new  departure  was  made  by  the  official  Gazette,  which  for 
several  hundred  years  had  been  written  in  Chinese,  appearing 
in  a  mixture  of  Chinese  characters  and  En-mun,  a  resemblance 
to  the  Japanese  mode  of  writing,  in  which  the  Chinese  charac- 
ters which  play  the  chief  part  are  connected  by  kana  syllables 
A  further  innovation  was  that  the  King's  oath  of  Independ- 
ence and  Reform  was  promulgated  in  Chinese,  pure  Enmun 
and  the  mixed  script,  and  now  the  latter  is  regularly  employed 
as  the  language  of  ordinances,  official  documents,  and  the 
Gazette  ;  royal  rescripts,  as  a  rule,  and  despatches  to  the  for- 
eign representatives  still  adhering  to  the  old  form 

This  recognition  of  the  Korean  language  by  means  of  the 
official  use  of  the  mixed,  and  in  some  cases  of  the  pure  script, 
the  aboUtion  of  the  Chinese  literary  examinations  as  the  test 
of  the  fitness  of  candidates  for  office,  the  use  of  the  "  vulgar  " 
script  exclusively  in  the  Independent,  the  new  Korean  news- 
paper,  the  prominence  given  to  Korean  by  the  large  body  of 
foreign  missionaries,  and  the  slow  creation  of  scientific  text- 
books and  a  literature  in  En-mun,  are  tending  not  only  to 
strengthen  Korean  national  feeling,  but  to  bring  the  "  masses," 
who  can  mostly  read  their  own  script,  into  contact  with  West- 
ern  science  and  forms  of  thought. 

There  is  no  national  religion.  Confucianism  is  the  official 
cult,  and  the  teachings  of  Confucius  are  the  rule  of  Korean 
morality.  Buddhism,  once  powerful,  but  "disestablished" 
three  centuries  ago,  is  to  be  met  with  chiefly  in  mountainous 
districts,  and  far  from  the  main  roads.  Spirit  worship,  a 
spec.es  of  shamanism,  prevails  all  over  the  kingdom,  and 
holds  the  uneducated  masses  and  the  women  of  all  classes  in 
complete  bondage. 


22 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Christian  missions,  chiefly  carried  on  by  Americans,  are  be- 
ginning to  produce  both  direct  and  indirect  effects. 

Ten  years  before  the  opening'  of  Korea  to  foreigners,  the 
Korean  king,  in  writing  to  his  suzerain,  the  Emperor  of  China, 
said,  "  The  educated  men  observe  and  practice  the  teachings 
of  Confucius  and  Wen  Wang,"  and  this  fact  is  the  key  to  any- 
thing like  a  correct  estimate  of  Korea.  Chinese  influence  in 
government,  law,  education,  etiquette,  social  relations,  and 
morals  is  predominant.  In  all  these  respects  Korea  is  but  a 
feeble  reflection  of  her  powerful  neighbor ;  and  though  since 
the  war  the  Koreans  have  ceased  to  look  to  China  for  assist- 
ance, their  sympathies  are  with  her,  and  they  turn  to  her  for 
noble  ideals,  cherished  traditions,  and  moral  teachings. 
Their  literature,  superstitions,  system  of  education,  ancestral 
worship,  culture,  and  modes  of  thinking  are  Chinese.  Society 
is  organized  on  Confucian  models,  and  the  rights  of  parents 
over  children,  and  of  elder  over  younger  brothers,  are  as  fully 
recognized  as  in  China. 

It  is  into  this  archaic  condition  of  things,  this  unspeakable 
grooviness,  this  irredeemable,  unreformed  Orientalism,  this 
parody  of  China  without  the  robustness  of  race  which  helps  to 
hold  China  together,  that  the  ferment  of  the  Western  leaven 
has  fallen,  and  this  feeblest  of  independent  kingdoms,  rudely 
shaken  out  of  her  sleep  of  centuries,  half  frightened  and 
wholly  dazed,  finds  herself  confronted  with  an  array  of  power- 
ful, ambitious,  aggressive,  and  not  always  overscrupulous 
powers,  bent,  it  may  be,  on  overreac'.ii»:g  her  and  each  other, 
forcing  her  into  new  paths,  ringing  with  rude  hands  the  knell 
of  time-honored  custom,  clamoring  for  concessions,  and  be- 
wildering her  with  reforms,  suggestions,  and  panaceas,  of 
which  she  sees  neither  the  meaning  nor  the  necessity. 

And  so  "  The  old  order  changeth,  giving  place  to  new," 
and  many  indications  of  the  transition  will  be  found  in  the 
later  of  the  following  pages. 

'  See  appendix  A. 


'if 


CHAPTER  I 

HRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOREA 

IT  is  but  fifteen  hours'  steaming  from  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki 
to  Fusan  in  Southern  Korea.  The  Island  of  Tsushima, 
where  the  Ifigo  Mam  calls,  was,  however,  my  last  glimpse  of 
Japan ;  and  its  reddening  maples  and  blossoming  plums,  its 
temple-crowned  heights,  its  stately  flights  of  stone  stairs  lead- 
ing to  Shinto  shrines  in  the  woods,  the  blue-green  masses  of  its 
pines,  and  the  golden  plumage  of  its  bamboos,  emphasized  tlie 
eflFect  produced  by  the  brown,  bare  hills  of  Fusan,  pleasant 
enough  in  summer,  but  grim  and  forbidding  on  a  sunless  Feb- 
ruary day.  The  Island  of  the  Interrupted  Shadow,  ChSl- 
yong-To,  (Deer  Island),  high  and  grassy,  on  which  the  Jap- 
anese have  established  a  coaling  station  and  a  quarantine  hos- 
pital, shelters  Fusan  harbor. 

It  is  not  Korea  but  Japan  which  meets  one  on  anchoring. 
The  lighters  are  Japanese.     An  official  of  the  Nippon  Yusen 
Kaisha  (Japan  Mail  Steamship  Co.),  to  which  WitHigo  Maru 
belongs,  comes  off  with  orders.     The  tide-waiter,  however,  is 
English—one  of  the  English  employis  of  the  Chinese  Imperial 
Maritime  Customs,  lent  to  Korea,  greatly  to  her  advantage,  for 
the  management  of  her  customs'  revenue.    The  foreign  settle- 
ment of  Fusan  is  dominated  by  a  steep  bluff  with  a  Buddhist 
temple  on  the  top,  concealed  by  a  number  of  fine  cryptomeria, 
planted  during  the  Japanese  occupation  in  1592.     It   is  a 
fairly  good-looking  Japanese  town,  somewhat  packed  between 
the  hills  and  the  sea,  with  wide  streets  of  Japanese  shops  and 
various  Anglo-Japanese  buildings,  among  which  the  Consulate 
and  a  Bank  are  the  most  important.     It  has  substantial  retain- 

33 


I 


m 


MSJII 


H  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Since  the  war,  water  Ik  hL.?^'"''  °'  "^^  rnunicipality 
xoo  .a.;4  levied  on  earhout  ?"  "T'''''^  ^^  *  '^*«  <>' 
abundant  suppVof  pure  Zi     n"  ''.^^^^^^  ''^^^  ^^^^P^^^^"' 

an^  ^IHtar,  center,,   f.^'^lXTl^';-^ 

have  taken  to  the"  Zdth^TJ  '°  '"^  '^°^  ^^^  ^-^^"« 
developed  so  ranidt  that  .-  ^°'"«^"  '"^^  °^  ^"^^n  has 
and  i^orts  cSd^  ^mt Id'to' ^'^  t"  °^  ^^P°"' 
had  reached  ^346,608.  uTb  eached  shf  i^J^f  /  "  ''^^  ^* 
Ims,  cambrics,  and  Turkey  red,  f^.  u-m  T^  '  '^^"''  "^"^■ 
captivated  Korean  fancy    bu  the  '''■'"'  ^'"'  '^^^^  all 

ton  garments  in  wk.ter  ioes  not  "'T"'!^'""  '^'"'^^'^  ^°*- 
Which  the  in^portTtr-lerilHi      ?hrr'"^'^ 
stride  is    in    the    importation    nf    1  """'^  ^™"^'"S 

«"•.  rice,  and  whaVs  aSL       ^°"''  ""«'  «*'  «'"'  * 

.mall,  arrivr^  ae  «,.  J,  ""T  "'""'"'  »'""«"■  '"««  or 
Pf      ymen  Kmsha,  running  frequently  between 


-SSb3 


First  Impressions  of  Korea 


rect,  and  a  RussS  mail         '  '"'="<''"S  <•"''«>■»  Osaka  di- 

It  appears  that  about  one-third  nf  tuJ      j   • 
n>d  i„,a„d  on  ,he  backs  o^^'^a    ^i^' ^P""^"  f  -- 
and  the  delavs  at  th»  Ko    •  ""  "orses.     1  he  taxes  lev  ed 

rou.es  are  tfr  ^fe^?  IZ^'t-'Jl  °'"'--  -"  '"" 
under  „l,ich  each  su.,i„„  rco«mIl,fK  "'"°"'  P''™""^ 
»ho,  for  a  certain  sum  I'd  o.ITg!  '  '°™  ?""'  °*"'"- 
tains  permission  to  leTy  Ws  '„1>f  T?"'  '°  ^^'"'''  "'>• 
River,  .he  mou.h  of  ^hUt,  mile^'Cp  sa  "'  '''':^°"« 
for  Meamers  dra»ine  !  feet  „f  L„        ?  "'  "  "av'gable 

up,  and  for  junks  l^  I  fc^L"  ^Sa'''''"*' ''  "■'"' 
far.her,  from  which  ooint  ,ll-  """"'  '°°  ■»"« 

draught  boa.s,  c  n  Cd  !  5^;'°?'  '""''''^''  ""°  "«"' 
coast.  Wi.h  .'hi.  avaUat  "atf^^ 'jd  I',:  """  '"■"  '"' 
the  much  disputed  Seoul  F„-,„    T'  ^'''  ^''^P'ot  that 

pushed  fact,  Fusan  bTd"  fdrtoL  ™''""^'^°'""»^'=""- 
commerce,  as  the  Kyt/^  '  frT^  '"  'T"''"' «'"'«  "^ 
populousoftheeightfnofforf/  "••'""'  '"  ^  "•=  -ost 
is  also  said  to  bfihel  7         "'"""""  P^P-^^'hirteen), 

possible  e4°.io^ .If  ChurL''"'"""  "'"  ^'""f"''  "'"> '»« 

in  mireraU.  ''GoTdttn?''"  '°°'',""^  "=  P'""'^'^  "ch 
Of  50  miles,  cop^^  q  i.t near  "nTr  """  """"  ^  -"- 
•00  miles.  '  "'  ^°''  ">"=  are  coal  fields  wi.hin 

ane^.  In'SuioMo^T  "^  ""'=™'"'  "^  ^"-  «  J^P' 
to  .he  Japanese  population  of  5,508,  .here 

'  According  to  Mr.  Hunt  tI.o  r^       •    • 

«he  Kyan  jng  prov,":"',::  fhrrT;  f  h'""™^  ^^  "--•  ^-^ 

hedged  round  by  a  cordon  of  them  with  n  If  ,  '''"°"'-     ^"^^"  '^ 

Nak-tong,  which  is  the  waterway  to  Z  ""^'  '■^^'"^'  "^"^  on  the 

in  a  distance  of  25  miles  ^       ^'  P™"'"'"'^^  ^'^P'''^'.  there  are  four 


M' 


'i;! 


iri 


ii' 


Shi 


nil 


-17 


26 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


IS  a  floating  population  of  8,000  Japanese  fishermen.  A 
Japanese  Consul-General  lives  in  a  fine  European  house.  Bank- 
ing facilities  are  furnished  by  the  Dai  Ichi  Gingo  of  Tokio, 
and  the  post  and  telegraph  services  are  also  Japanese.  Japa- 
nese too  is  the  cleanliness  of  the  settlement,  and  the  introduc- 
tion of  industries  unknown  to  Korea,  such  as  rice  husking  and 
cleaning  by  machinery,  whale-fishing,  saJi^-making,  and  the 
preparation  of  shark's  fins,  dechf  de  mer,  and  fish  manure,  the 
latter  an  unsavory  fertilizer,  of  which  enormous  quantities  are 
exported  to  Japan. 

But  the  reader  asks  impatiently,  "Where  are  the  Koreans? 
I  don't  want  to  read  about  the  Japanese  !  "  Nor  do  I  want  to 
write  about  them,  but  facts  are  stubborn,  and  they  are  the  out- 
standing Fusan  fact. 

As  seen  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  a  narrow  up  and  down 
path  keeping  at  some  height  above  the  sea  skirts  the  hillside 
for  3  miles  from  Fusan,  passing  by  a  small  Chinese  settlement 
with  official  buildings,  uninhabited  when  I  last  saw  them,  and 
terminating  in  the  walled  town  of  Fusan  proper,  with  a  fort  of 
very  great  antiquity  outside  it,  modernized  by  the  Japanese 
after  the  engineering  notions  of  three  centuries  ago. 

Seated  on  the  rocks  along  the  shore  were  white  objects  re- 
sembling  pelicans  or  penguins,  but  as  white  objects  with  the 
gait  of  men  moved  in  endless  procession  to  and  fro  between 
old  and  new  Fusan,  I  assumed  that  the  seated  objects  were  of 
the  same  species.     The  Korean  makes  upon  one  the  impres- 
sion of  novelty,  and  while  resembling  neither  the  Chinese  nor 
the  Japanese,  he  is  much  better-looking  than  either,  and  his  phy- 
sique is  far  finer  than  that  of  the  latter.     Though  his  average 
height  IS  only  5  feet  4.^  inches,  his  white  dress,  which  is  vo- 
luminous,  makes  him  look  taller,  and  his  high-crowned  hat, 
without  which  he  is  never  seen,  taller  still.     The  men  were  in 
winter  dress-white  cotton  sleeved  robes,  huge  trousers,  and 
socks;  all  wadded.     On  their  heads  were  black  silk  wadded 
caps  with  pendant  sides  edged  with  black  fur,  and  on  the  top 


First  Impressions  of  Korea 


27 

of  these  rather  high-crowned,  somewhat  br^oad-brimmed  hats 
o  black  '  cnnohne"  or  horsehair  gauze,  tied  under  the  chin 
with  cnnohne  nbbon.  The  general  effect  was  grotesque. 
There  were  a  few  children  on  the  path,  bundles  of  gay  cloth- 
ing, but  no  women.  ^^ 

I  was  accompanied  to  old  Fusan  by  a  charming  English 

'Una     who,  speaking  Korean  almost  like  a  native,  moved 

serenely  through  the  market-day  crowds,  welcomed  by  all      A 

iT'wafn^H    "  '  ''°"''/  '''  '"^  '''''  ^^P^^'^"-  showed  that 
U  was  neither  more  nor  less  miserable  than  the  general  run  of 

Sof     T       %"'"°^  ^'''y  '''''''  ^°"«'^^  °f  'ow  hovels 
bu.lt  of  mud-smeared  wattle  without  windows,  straw  roofs,  and 

troLTV       ?  '"'°'''  ^""^^  '"  ''''y  ^^"  '  ^'^^  fro-"  the 
ground,  and  outs.de  most  are  irregular  ditches  containing  solid 

and  lK,u,d  refuse.     Mangy  dogs  and  blear-eyed  children!  half 

or  wholly  naked,  and  scaly  with  dirt,  roll  in  the  deep  dust  or 

tTl^TTu  K '"'  •"  ''''  ^""'  ^PP^-"'^>^  --fleeted  by 
the  stenches  which  abound.  But  market  day  hid  much  that  is 
repulsive.  Along  the  whole  length  of  th'e  narrow  d us  J 
crooked  street,  the  wares  were  laid  out  on  mats  on  the  ground 
a  man  or  an  old  woman,  bundled  up  in  dirty  white  cotton 
guarding  each.  And  the  sound  of  bargain ing'ose  highr^d 
much  breath  was  spent  on  beating  down  prices,  which  diinol 
amount  originally  to  the  tenth  part  of  a  farthing.     The  good 

ferth:";™'""".'  P°"  '"^^^  ^"^  -^"  »-d-     Shor 
lengths  of  coarse  wh.te  cotton,  skeins  of  cotton,  straw  shoes 

weTd  coTf  '  '°'.r  P'P"  ^"'  P°"^^-'  ^-d  fi«h  and  et 
weed,  cord  for  girdles,  paper  rough  and  smooth,  and  barley- 
sugar  nearly  black,  were  the  contents  of  the  mats       I  am  sure 

haT  LTd  ;f'"^^vr-'"-*'^'^  ^"^^^  -« -^  -or7Zl 

hZll  '     ^^'^  ''"^°'*  ^^^  ^  «'"^»  heap  of  cash 

b^  de  him,  an  uncouth  bronze  coin  with  a  square  hole  in  the 
centre,  of  which  at  that  time  3,200  mmim/ly  went  to  the 
doUar,  and  which  greatly  trammelled  and  crippled  Korean 


IIHI 


fl 


II 


28 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


do  no,  p^duce,  as  wel,  as  foS  r  Cer  ont''  '*"' 
ductions.  Practically  there  are  n„  .u  •  .  "'"''  P™' 
<mall  towns,  their  needs  beint  T     r  ?  '"  ""  "'"^Ses  and 

.-,.i„,ped,a.„h„t™^l'2,in>;^r  "^^^  "^ 

.hree  A  JtraJS,'  M«  w^  tr?,"rr  Tr""'-  '  '""""^  '^' 
decayed  and  „,iserable  town  W  S.t  "'  "'"  '°  ""' 
cean,  it  was  in  n„  ™.    j-  .     '    """ 'lie  compound  was 

surro  nded  brmudZet  "r"'""'  '"^  ""^  «'"■  ^"'g 
full  force  of  L  sfulr'';   '"  °"^  ?'  "''^<^'  «P<>«d  to  thf 

-d  -iiswe:t%rerd:"h'pr:t«Tt''™^L  ■^'^ 

other  European  knickknacks  11^  «  f  f^^^'f"'  ="d 
But  not  onlv  were  .he  ZT    °"'^'™  "  '""k  of  refinement. 

could  not  stludup^'htTZr,  7''"  °"'  •""■"^■''■^ 
invasions  of  Korea     won^r,";,'':^"™^'' "^  »P°-tle, 

other  from  morning  to  nLht  1  h  ,  ™  ="<^'=^"""8  '«h 
^liectacle  for  the  c'riot  tri^nds  'r  e^T  "'Tf'  ""  ' 
take  this  step  of  living  in  .i  ^     "'^  '^'"«  "»'  'o 

Pcans.  I,  w^  ?ep  ™  W  1^"^"  "'"'"  3  ■""=,  from  Euro- 
health  would  sXT,^  .f ''  ™  "«  ^f'-  =»d  that  their 
crowded  neighborhood::,,  ''^,::;^.-f;«'d  odo„  of  the 
tional  thing  "  to  do  '"'""'•«  "as  not  a  "  conven- 

'r^z'iz'^z::'7-  r"  ^-^  ''''"■ «-"  ^•'■•>- 

women  had  been  tad°  dd   o  t' ""',  '  '""'"  """>'>"•»' 
and  habits.    AH  Zl^.^u  ^"""^  f^"''' '"  "■«  Persons 

-rks  in   the  stUts  "^f^Zl  ^r^^'  ^^  "'r   T 
women  resorted  to  th^m  f«,      5     .  .  *    ^*"y  »^  the 

they  gave  hrofgM  t'h™  ™  cT  !::,'  ^I.T  ""f";  "T''  ^'- 
civilizing  influence  was  the  resnU  of  ^"  f""'"''  "»" 

very  detestable  circumstancV    if  ,h„  rH'/  ','""«  """" 
houses  a^  miles  o.  „pon  .h:hiiri;Tsa?e1o^s;r  thTrl^ 


I 


First  Impressions  of  Korea 


29 

suit  would  have  been  nil.  Withon. 
trumpets,  they  quie.y  helped  7o  Ini  ^"^  "''  ^'^  ^^°^'"«  of 
lems  as  to  "  MLionary  Method,  "^  °T  °'  "'^  «^^^^  P^ob- 
"  problem  "  I  fai,  to  s7e  /„  t' East'f  *  "'^  '^  ^'^^"^^  ^«  « 
feacher  who  has  led  the  pele  has  1  ve^  ''  ^^^^^ -^'g'ous 
";g  if  not  sharing  their  daily  Ivesad,  'T"'  ''^'•"'  '^"°^- 
s'ble  at  all  times.     It  is  not  easvTn  •"''"  '"^'^^  ^<^<^^s- 

greater  than  Buddha  on  y Tea S  bJr''"';  ^"'""  °^  ^"« 
feeing,  a  gate-keeper  or  servant        '      "  °''  '"'  P^^^'^^'^  l>y 

C^''rh:^eX\nra;ot  I  'T  '''"^  ^'^"  -"  -<i 

the  Tong-halc  rebellion  and  rLfh^d^^^^  ""^^^"^^  ^ 
A  Japanese  regiment  had  encamL    ,  '"  ""™°'^^^«d. 

permission,  had  drawn  water  frn^^^.       T  '°  '^''^'  «"J'  by 

and  had  shown  them  no  h  „t 7       '''"  ^"  ^'^"■'"  ^^^^^^ 

years  gained  generaT  con  "/„-  anT^'"!!    ^^"^  -  t- 

a  small  bungalow  just  above  the    m      ^°°^'^'"'  ^^^^^  ^uilt 

be^n  turned  into  a  lery  ^tit^^^^^^^^^^^   ^°-'  ^^'ch  has 

^H^tn^::;^sart^- --■-..  -^ose 

friends  now,  and  they  knew  th.        ii!"'  ''"  '^'''  ^^^""chest 
they  moved  into  theTr  Lw  hlus^trf  • '"'  "™^  ^°  "^"  -^en 
-"•     Some  go  there  to  sle  the  ad's     ^'^  "°  ''^^^^"-  ^^ 
ture  or  hear  the  organ  and  ^l    .     '         '  *°  '''  '^^  ^""i" 
doctrine.'.    The  «Sion  wo    T'lr*" ''"*  ^'^^ '' J-- 
•ngs  for  worship,  classes  for  .nr  "^'^  ^°"«'^ts  o^  daily  meet- 
night  for  thosellTnlf;  Jfror^'  '" '^P'^'"'  ^''^-^ 
a  Sunday  school  with  a^r'ttendL  °  T" u""' '"  ''''  ^^y'^^^' 
the  people,  and  giving  tnstr  cdn„      ^l  "^^'^'  ^''"'"«  ^™°"^ 
ingviUages.     A^t  forty'dr 
and  regularly  attend  ChriLan  wor^'  '  '  '^'^''^'^""^' 

ladirt  arrs.t;rdi!^;  t  ^"r  °^  ^'---^-^  *^- 

fan  in  with  a  theory  of  m^own  1  ;'^'  '."'  '^^^"^^  ^^^^^ 
work.  ^  °'  ""y  °^°  as  to  methods  of  mission 


■■1 
1 


i  ■MB 

ilfi 
if. If 

I' 


-  h^ 

i  is 


3°  Korea  and  Her  Neiglibors 

There  is  a  very  small  Roman  Catholic  mission-house  seldnm 
tenanted  between  the  two  Fusans.     In  the  province  of  Kven. 
sang  .n  which  they  are,  there  are  Roman  mfssio     .hi  h  S 

aTd^^iireT'Vhi^^  ^"'""'r  ^'^"■^''^"^^^ '"  ^•^^'^^o- 

and  villages.  There  are  two  foreign  priests,  who  spend  most 
of  the  year  m  teaching  in  the  provincial  villages,  livin^^ 
Korean  huts,  m  Korean  fashion,  on  Korean  food  ^ 

A  coarse  ocean  with  a  distinct  line  of  demarcation  between 
?e  low'srH°^'''  '"  °' J^P^"  ^"^  the  discoloration  iThe 

muddi™T^^^^^^  f'''''^''  '^y^'  -°-  ^'j-ds, 

muddier  wa^r,  an  estuary  and    unks,  and  on  the  third  after 

noon  from  Fusan  the  m,o  Maru  anchored  in  the  roadst  d 
of  Chemulpo  the  seaport  of  Seoul.  This  cannot  pretend  to 
s^  '      '^'^  '"''''  "^^^  °^  *h^  -^d^t-d,  such  as  U  is  1  a 

30teet.  The  anchorage,  a  narrowchannel  in  the  shallows  can 
accommodate  five  vessels  of  moderate  size.  Yet  though  he 
mud  was  .«  ^;/.«...and  the  low  hill  behind  the  town  v^^I 
dull  brown,  and  a  drizzling  rain  was  falling,  I  liked  theTok  of 
Chemulpo  better  than  I  expected,  and'after  Scorning  ac 
quainted  wuh  it  in  various  seasons  and  circumstances      came 

roadstead    t  is  a  collection  of  mean  houses,  mostly  of  wood 
painted  white,  built  along  the  edge  of  the    ea  and  sLe^^^ 
up  a  verdureless  hill,  the  whole  'extending  forTore  than  f 

ifEtLV'^r'r  "'^'^^  ^^^  ^  few'trees,  cro.    d  by 
n^  t^  t^''    t"'u '*''  '  '^'"'^"^^^^  ^"^  ""--thy  build' 
ing,  to  a  h.11  on  which  are  a  large  decorative  Japanese  tea- 
house, a  garden,  and  a  Shinto  shrine.     Salient  featurl   there 

church  the  humble  buildings  of  Bishop  Corfe's  mission  on  the 
hi,  the  large  Japanese  Consulate,  and  some  new  municipal 
build.ngs  on  a  slope,  may  be  considered  such.     As  TtFu^an 
an  English  tide-waiter  boarded  the  ship,  and  a  foreign  haZ! 


i 


m 


'ifi'. 


i 


] 


First  Impressions  of  Korea  31 

master  berthed  her,  while  a  Japanese  clerk  gave  the  captain 
his  orders, 

Mr.  Wilkinson,  the  acting  British  Vice-Consul,  came  off  for 
me,  and  entertained  me  then  and  on  two  subsequent  occasions 
with  great  hospitality,  but  as  the  Vice-Consulate  had  at  that 
time  no  guest-room,  I   slept  at  a   Chinese   inn,  known  as 
"Steward's,"  kept  by  Itai,  an  honest  and  helpful  man  who 
does  all  he  can  to  make  his  guests  comfortable,  and  partially 
succeeds.    This  inn  is  at  the  corner  of  the  main  street  of  the 
Chinese  quarter,  in  a  very  lively  position,  as  it  also  looks  down 
the  main  street  of  the  Japanese  settlement.     The  Chinese  set- 
tlement is  solid,  with  a  handsome  yam^n  and  guild  hall,  and 
rows  of  thnving  and  substantial  shops.     Busy  and  noisy  with 
the  continual  letting  off  of  crackers  and  beating  of  drums  and 
gongs,  the  Chinese  were  obviously  far  ahead  of  the  Japanese 
Jn  trade.     They  had  nearly  a  monopoly  of  the  foreign  "  cus- 
tom"; their  large  "houses"  in  Chemulpo  had  branches  in 
Seoul,  and  if  there  were  any  foreign  requirement  which  they 
could  not  meet,  they  procured  the  article  from  Shanghai  with- 
out  loss  of  time.    The  haulage  of  freight  to  Seoul  was  in  their 
hands,  and  the  market  gardening,  and  much  besides.     Late 
into  the  night  they  were  at  work,  and  they  used  the  roadway 
for  drying  hides  and  storing  kerosene  tins  and  packing  cases 
Scarcely  did  the  noise  of  night  cease  when  the  din  of  morning 
began      To  these  hard-working  and  money-making  people  rest 
seemed  a  superfluity.  e  f    f 

The  Japanese  settlement  is  far  more  populous,  extensive, 
and  pretentious.  Their  Consulate  is  imposing  enough  for  a 
legation  They  have  several  streets  of  small  shops,  which 
supply  the  needs  chiefly  of  people  of  their  own  nationality,  for 
foreigners  patronize  Ah  Wong  and  Itai,  and  the  Koreans,  who 
hate  the  Japanese  with  a  hatred  three  centuries  old,  also  deal 
chiefly  with  the  Chinese.  But  though  the  Japanese  were  out- 
stripped in  trade  by  the  Chinese,  their  position  in  Korea,  even 
before  the  war,  was  an  influential  one.     They  gave  "postal 


m 


32 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


,1 


facilities"  between  the  treaty  ports  and  Seoul  and  carried  the 
foreign  mails,  and  they  established  branches  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank '  in  the  capital  and  treaty  ports,  with  which  the 
resident  foreigners  have  for  years  transacted  their  business,  and 
in  which  they  have  full  confidence.     I  lost  no  time  in  opening 
an  account  with  this  Bank  in  Chemulpo,  receiving  an  English 
check-book  and  pass-book,  and  on  all  occasions  courtesy  and 
all  needed  help.     Partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  English  cot- 
tons for  Korea  are  made  in  bales  too  big  for  the  Lilliputian 
Korean  pony,  involving  reduction  to  more  manageable  dimen- 
sions on  being  landed,  and  partly  to  causes  which  obtain  else- 
where, the  Japanese  are  so  successfully  pushing  their  cottons 
in  Korea,  that  while  they  constituted  only  3  per  cent,  of  the 
imports  in  1887,  they  had  risen  to  something  like  40  per  cent, 
in  1894.*    There  is  a  rapidly  growing  demand  for  yarn  to  be 
woven  on  native  looms.     The  Japanese  are  well  to  the  front 
with  steam  and  sailing  tonnage.     Of  198  steamers  entered  in- 
wards in  1893,  132  were  Japanese;  and  out  of  325  sailing 
vessels,  232  were  Japanese.     It  is  on  record  that  an  English 
merchantman  was  once  seen  in  Chemulpo  roads,  but  actually 
the  British  mercantile  flag,  unless  on  a  chartered  steamer,  is 
not  known  in  Korean  waters.     Nor  was  there  in  1894  an 
English  merchant  in  the  Korean  treaty  ports,  or  an  English 
house  of  business,  large  or  small,  in  Korea. 

Just  then  rice  was  in  the  ascendant.  Japan  by  means  of 
pressure  had  induced  the  Korean  Government  to  consent  to 
suspend  the  decree  forbidding  its  export,  and  on  a  certain 
date  the  sluices  were  to  be  opened.  Stacks  of  rice  bags 
covered  the  beach,  rice  in  bulk  being  measured  into  bags  was 
piled  on  mats  in  the  roadways,  ponies  and  coolies  rice-laden 
filed  in  strings  down  the  streets,  while  in  the  roadstead  a  num- 
ber of  Japanese  steamers  and  junks  awaited  the  taking  off  the 
embargo  at  midnight  on  6th  March.  A  regular  rice  babel 
'  Now  the  Dai  Ichi  Gingo. 
•  For  latest  trade  statistics  see  appendix  B. 


IS 


First  Impressions  of  Korea 


33 

prevailed  in  the  town  and  on  the  beach,  and  much  disaffection 
prevailed  among  the  Koreans  at  the  rise  in  the  price  of    I  ei 
staple  article   of  diet.     Japanese   agents  scoured     he  wl  o"e 
country  for  nee,  and  every  caUie  of  it  which  could  be  scared 
from  consumption  was  botight  in  preparation  for  the  war  of 

gave  Chemulpo  an  appearance  of  a  thriving  trade  which  it  is 
not  wont  to  have  except  in  the  Chinese  settlement.    T  toret 
population  in  1897  was  4,357. 
The  reader  may  wonder  where  the  Koreans  are  at  Che- 

little  account      Ihe  increasing  native  town  lies  outside  the 

bi":rthrhir"  v':  '""•  ^''^^'  ^'---^  --^  tt 

scTamb  in^  n^  I  °"  ?  u'  ^'^  ^"«"^'^  ^'^-^^  «'-»d«.  and 

edT    ?•   Z   u   ""''^  '^"""'^  I^'^^"''"g  themselves  on  every 

.ledge,  attained  by  filthy  alleys    swarming  with  quiet  dTr  v 

o     h     hi^rnd  K       "  ■'  "°'  '^  '''  <^ffi--a'^—  at  the  top 
lellatt^n;   h  "'  "'''^°^'  "'  punishment,  its  brutal 

tl;  ^E'"i.r         "'"■''  ^'"^'^^^'"^  '"^^  ^--^  of  the  ad- 
jacent English  nnssion,  and  Korean  too  are  the  bribery  and 

corruption  which  make  it  and  nearly  every ,.«.«  sinkllft 

I2L  f      ""^    '*'  ^°"^'^  ^"^^^d  roofs  and  drum 

chamber  over  the  gateway  remind  the  stranger  that  though  th^ 

rr  v^  n::t  °'  "-^t'^^  -^  ^^-'-^^ '  ^,.^1^1:' 

de  o    the  rLr\''  '''  ''^^^^  °'  "^^^>'  «"  ^^e  other 
fifshnn  r     r  °  •""  ''''  ^''^''^'''  ''^^  hospital  connected  with 

Bishop  Corfe's  mission,  where  in  a  small  Korean  building  the 
s.ck  are  received,  tended,  and  generally  cured  by  Dr  Landis 
who  himself  lives  as  a  Korean  in  rooms  8  feet  by  6  study  1 
wntu^g  eating,  without  chair  or  table,  and  access!  bt'll 
imes  to  all  comers.     The  6,700  inhabitants  of  the  Korean 
town        rathe,  jl.e  male  half  of  them,  are  always  o    the  move 
The  narrow  roads  are  always  full  of  them,  sauntering  alongTn 


m 


ii 


■u 


\m 


34  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

their  dress  hats,  not  apparently  doing  anything.  It  is  old 
Fusan  over  again,  except  that  there  are  permanent  shops,  with 
stocks-.n-trade  worth  from  one  to  twenty  dollars;  and  as  an 
hour  .s  easily  spent  over  a  transaction  involving  a  few  cash, 
here  «  an  appearance  of  business  kept  up.  In  the  settlement 
he  Koreans  work  as  porters  and  carry  preposterous  weights  on 
their  wooden  packsaddles. 


GATE  OF  OLD  FUSAN 


I 


\ 
( 
a 
1 
n 
ii 


CHAPTER  II 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


errs  fiz^tzr^  -«^  -  -' 

.he  river  p„„  of  Seoul,  i,  !ve  1  u/ot'  ™  !  "" '°  *'"""' 
"ore  emerprUing  than  .heir  neighborMo  «ub  L T  '^"°°' 
municat  on  belween  the  i»„     lu    •,  ,  j    ''"'"'sn  steam  com- 

have  attended  i^lVi^Zn,^:^ :^ "X','''^'" ''''''' 
ger  who  has  entrusted  himself  .oTheLr^'"'^"'^  ^^■ 
the  boat  being  deposited  n„  /.Mr  ■  ^  ^  '*''  'o  '^"  <>f 
ors  to  ge,  oif!  o  freX  "hh  "  ^'"'''  ™^  ■"  f"'"'  «dea,. 
ing  a  pfssing  ;»«lge  Ungrfo  Z?  """f  '"  »-.. 
hind  time,  tired,  hungry!  an/ disl^^'"  r'.^"'""- 
launches  ?je  only  half  nower.,!  ,   'f  "'■™-     ^or  the  steam 

«rong,  the  river  shall™and''r'''  ""  '''^'»  "' 
from  tide  to  tide     hZ^IIk         "^^»''l'anks  shift  almost 

patroni^ed  by  ^.u'^ZVj^^tZ'tl'' n''  """^ 
arrangements  are  made  for  setting  „„T1       '  "  '""  °' 

There  is,  properly  speaktaf^'^^    J"""'"" '"'"•">«<".•• 

Mr,  Gardner,  the  BrMsh  t.  T''  *""  ""  ""'  «"«• 
kindly  arrangd  to  eC  me  ^^  Consnl-General  in  Seoul, 
seven  hours'in  ^ITl^  ""/^  ""''''  ^^  '  «nt  up  in 
joked  and  laugh^  and  J  d  .t  r"'7  '°"'  '"'"»•  '"o 
worn  for  itself  a  tracToften  ind.fi  ."'"^^  ^"'^  '^'"<^'^  '>« 
over  and  sterilizing  a  widttenolh  r  \  °'""'^  ''"'^""^ 
and  often  making  a  Zl^  *    "^"^  "''^^  <>>•  four  highways. 

The  mud  is  ne^riy  bo.  Itrill"  T"  '«"  ""^  •■°■"• 
nese  attempt  the  transit  o^gls  a  it:'"^"''  '''  ^'"■ 

■n  .he  mud  til.  .he  spring^sht;d^':^,r:h:.tr  ^1,^^ 


3^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Ma^pu  all  traffic  has  to  cross  a  small  plain  of  deep  sand      Pack 
bulls  noble  an.mals,  and  men  are'  the  carriers  of  Zdi      n 
redoubtable  Korean  pony  was  not  to  be    een     Cpasst; 

The  track  lies  through  rolling  country,  well  cultivated 
°s  r  w<S    "^^hl'!"  ""t"^"  '"-i '"«  'Pindlr  Pin«,  .here 

-er,.„g  d,„,  i,  being  fa,,  improved  off  .he^^rifX 

From  .he  Io«r  pass  known  as  the  Gap,  there  is  a  view  of  ih. 
Mis  m  the  neighborhood  of  Seonl.  and  before  re™L/  .he 

pnere,  .ook  on  some.hing  of  grandeur.     Crossing  the  Han  i„ 

tCmo^T  y'""'  — odated  itseif^mttfetdi; 
ll  7;,°^ ""  »  PO"y.  and  encountering  ferry  boats  full  of 

we  landed  on  the  rough.  «eep,  filthy,  miry  river  bank,  and 


First  Impressions  of  the  Capital  37 

one  .an  „„,ki„,  ,  ,  J/^  ^v^  ^  ^J  r.'  ^ 

he  As  L    ^'T""^,"'""  of  Korean  Customs,  and  Mr.  f"" 
andte       :  .?T  '  """  ""  ''"'*  """^  ^"=)^  became  thick 

in  the  'city,  „Mc  a"'      ^  sTo^:e7:irb?r ' '"'""' 

^-c:i;r;^-:;inr'""^^ 

making  JsUence  fe  land  ^''T'  '""' ""' ''"  "'}'  " 
Korean  in  the  Korean  capita  Lvthet™"""^  ""'  "'"■<^''  « 
One  of  ,h.  tnost  r^Zkll^le   inH    T  "'"""^  "'  """""• 
which  is  stealing  over  rhrHermf.rf'T  °^  "'= '^''anges 

Roman  Cathoii!  Cath'l":r  er  'l;;  'X; ':;:;;,"  "T*^" 

xri„°'i:r-Thri£sft,"'f'^« 

-ac«ve,  engaged  .?;S,is^:;ir:h-^^^^^ 


;)i     f 


38 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


ago,  persecute(;  the  Roman  Christians  so  cruelly  and  persist- 
ently  as  to  raise  up  for  Korea  a  "noble  army  of  martyrs." 

I  know  Seoul  by  day  and  night,  its  palaces  and  its  slums, 
Its  unspeakable  meanness  and  faded  splendors,  its  purposeless 
crowds,  Its  mediaeval  processions,  which  for  barbaric  splendor 
cannot  be  matched  on  earth,  the  filth  of  its  crowded  alleys, 
and  Its  pitiful  attempt  to  retain  its  manners,  customs,  and 
identity  as  the  capital  of  an  ancient  monarchy  in  face  of  the 
host  of  disintegrating  influences  which  are  at  work,  but  it  is 
not  at  first  that  one  "  takes  it  in."     I  had  known  it  for  a  year 
before  I  appreciated  it,  or  fully  realized  that  it  is  entitled  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  great  capitals  of  the  world,  with  its 
supposed  population  of  a  quarter  of  a  million,  and  that  few 
capitals  are  more  beautifully  situated.*    One  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  above  the  sea,  in  Lat.  37^  34'  N.  and  Long.  127° 
6    E.,  mountain  girdled,  for  the  definite  peaks  and  abrupt 
elevation  of  its  hills  give  them  the  grandeur  of  mountains, 
though  their  highest  summit,  San-kak-San,  has  only  an  altitude 
of  2,627  feet,  few  cities  can  boast,  as  Seoul  can,  that  tigers 
and  leopards  are  shot  within  their  walls  !    Arid  and  forbid- 
ding these  mountains  look  at  times,  their  ridges  broken  up 
into  black  crags  and  pinnacles,  ofttimes  rising  from  among  dis- 
torted pines,  but  there  are  evenings  of  purple  glory,  when 
every  forbidding  peak  gleams  like  an  amethyst  with  a  pink 
translucency,  and  the  shadows  are  cobalt  and  the  sky  is  green 
and  gold.     Fair  are  the  surroundings  too  in  early  spring,  when 
a  delicate  green  mist  veils  the  hills,  and  their  sides  are  flushed 
with  the  heliotrope  azalea,  and  flame  of  plum,  and  blush  of 
cherry,  and  tremulousness  of  peach  blossom  appear  in  un- 
expected quarters. 

Looking  down  on  this  great  city,  which  has  the  aspect  of  a 
lotus  pond  in  November,  or  an  expanse  of  overripe  mush- 

>  By  a  careful  census  taken  in  February,  1897.  the  intra-mural  popula- 
tion of  Seoul  was  144,636  souls,  and  the  extra-mural  75,189,  total  219,. 
815,  males  predominating  to  the  extent  of  11,079. 


•vll 


o 
a, 

u 
u 


U 
H 

W 

u 


< 


w 

w 

<: 

a. 


I  ■• 


.(.  'I 


II 


i| 


)       > 


H 


if 


1. 


i    rl 

-V" 


First  Impressions  of  the  Capital 


39 


rooms,  the  eye  naturally  follows  the  course  of  the  wall,  which 
is  discerned  in  most  outlandish  places,  climbing  Nam-San  in 
one  direction,  and  going  clear  over  the  crest  of  Puk-han  in 
another,  enclosing  a  piece  of  forest  here,  and  a  vacant  plain 
there,  descending  into  ravines,  disappearing  and  reappearing 
when  least  expected.     This  wall,   which  contrives  to  look 
nearly  as  solid  as  the  hillsides  which  it  climbs,  is  from  25  to 
40  feet  in  height,  and  14  miles  in  circumference  (according  to 
Mr.  Fox  of  H.B.M.'s  Consular  Service),  battlemented  along 
its  entire  length,  and  pierced  by  eight  gateways,  solid  arches 
or  tunnels  of  stone,  surmounted  by  lofty  gate  houses  with  one, 
two,  or  three  curved  tiled  roofs.    These  are  closed  from  sunset 
to  sunrise  by  massive  wooden  gates,  heavily  bossed  and  strength- 
ened with   iron,    bearing,   following   Chinese  fashion,   high- 
sounding  names,  such  as  the  "  Gate  of  Bright  Amiability," 
the  "  Gate  of  High  Ceremony,"  the  "  Gate  of  Elevated  Hu- 
manity." 

The  wall  consists  of  a  bank  of  earth  faced  with  masonry, 
or  of  solid  masonry  alone,  and  is  on  the  whole  in  tolerable 
repair.  If  is  on  the  side  nearest  the  river,  and  onwards  in  the 
direction  of  the  Peking  Pass,  that  extra-mural  Seoul  has  ex- 
panded. One  gate  is  the  Gate  of  the  Dead,  only  a  royal 
corpse  being  permitted  to  be  carried  out  by  any  other.  By 
another  gate  criminals  passed  out  to  be  beheaded,  and  outside 
another  their  heads  were  exposed  for  some  days  after  execu- 
tion, hanging  from  camp-kettle  stands.  The  north  gate,  high 
on  Puk-han,  is  kept  closed,  only  to  be  opened  in  case  the  King 
is  compelled  to  escape  to  one  of  the  so-called  fortresses  on  that 
mountain. 

Outside  the  wall  is  charming  country,  broken  into  hills  and 
wooded  valleys,  with  knolls  sacrificed  to  stately  royal  tombs, 
with  their  environment  of  fine  trees,  and  villages  in  romantic 
positions  among  orchards  and  garden  cultivation.  Few 
Eastern  cities  have  prettier  walks  and  rides  in  their  immediate 
neighborhood,  or  greater  possibilities  of  rapid  escape  into 


1; 


w 


11 


1 


'in 

^^mmiBfi 

k 

1  ri 

1  ,1   ! 


J        Si' 


m 


k  n 


4°  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

sylvan  solitudes,  and  I  must  add  that  no  city  has  environs  so 
safe,  and  that  ladies  without  a  European  escort  can  ride,  as  I 
have  done,  in  every  direction  outside  the  walls  without  meet- 
ing with  the  slightest  annoyance. 

I  shrink  from  describing  intramural  Seoul.»    I  thought  it 
the  foulest  city  on  earth  till  I  saw  Peking,  and  its  smells  the 
most  odious,  till  I  encountered  those  of  Shao-shing  I     For  a 
great  city  and  a  capital  its  meanness  is  ind  scribable.    Eti- 
quette forbids  the  erection  of  two-storied  houses,  consequently 
an  estimated  quarter  of  a  million  people  are  living  on  "the 
ground,"  chiefly  in  labyrinthine  alleys,  many  of  them  not 
wide  enough  for  two  loaded  bulls  to  pass,  indeed  barely  wide 
enough  for  one  man  to  pass  a  loaded  bull,  and  further  nar  owed 
by  a  series  of  vile  holes  or  green,  slimy  ditches,  which  receive 
the  solid  and  liquid  refuse  of  the  houses,  their  foul  and  fetid 
margins  being  the  favorite  resort  of  half-naked  children,  be- 
grimed with  dirt,  and  of  big,  mangy,  blear-eyed  dogs,  which 
wallow  in  the  slime  or  blink  in  the  sun.     There  too  the  itin- 
erant vendor  of  "small   wares,"  and  candies  dyed   flaring 
colors  with  aniline  dyes,  establishes  himself,  puts  a  few  planks 
across  the  ditch,   and   his  goods,  worth   perhaps  a  dollar 
thereon.     But  even  Seoul  has  its  "  spring  cleaning,"  and  I  en- 
countered on  the  sand  plain  of  the  Han,  on  the  ferry,  and  on 
the  road  from  Ma-pu  to  Seoul,  innumerable  bulls  carrying  pan- 
niers laden  with  the  contents  of  the  city  ditches. 

The  houses  abutting  on  these  ditches  are  generally  hovels 
with  deep  eaves  and  thatched  roofs,  presenting  nothing  tr  the 
street  but  a  mud  wall  with  occasionally  a  small  paper  window 
just  under  the  roof,  indicating  the  men's  quarters,  and  invari- 
ably, at  a  height  varying  from  a  to  3  feet  above  the  ditch,  a 

>  Mus  nvons  Changs  tout  cela.  As  will  be  seen  from  a  chapter  near 
In  H  .  I  I  r^"^'  *^'  ^•'''^  Commissioner  of  Customs,  energetically 
and  1  .  ^  .  '"T""  °^  '''°"''  '^^^  ^°^''^*^  ^"'•P-i"g  improvements 
caoital  ;7'.f  T'  "'"''  ''  ""'^'  °"*  perseveringly,  will  redeem  the 
capital  from  the  charges  which  travellers  have  brought  against  it. 


First  Impressions  of  the  Capital  41 

blackened  smoke-hole,  the  vent  for  the  smoke  and  heated  air, 
which  have  done  their  duty  in  warming  the  floor  of  the  house! 
All  day  long  bulls  laden  with  brushwood  to  a  great  height  are 
enter„.g  the  c.ty.  and  at  six  o'clock  this  pine  brush,  preparing 
o  do  the  cooking  and  warming  for  the  population,  fills  every 
lane  ,n  Seoul  with  aromatic  smoke,  which  hangs  over  it  with 
remarkable  punctuality.     Even  the  superior  houses,  which  have 

^r^K^    .     "^  '°°^''  P'"'""*  "^^'^'"K  b^""  '°  tl^e  street  thar> 
this  debased  appearance. 

The  shops  partake  of  the  general  meanness.  Shops  with  a 
stock-ui-trade  which  may  be  worth  six  dollars  abound  It  is 
easy  to  walk  in  Seoul  without  molestation,  but  any  one  stand- 

w  1l  1  r?.  "'  ""^''^'"^  '"'"^'^  "  ^''^'  "°^d,  so  that  it  is  as 
well  that  there  .s  nothing  to  look  at.     The  shops  have  literally 
not  a  noteworthy  feature.     Their  one  characteristic  is  that 
they  have  none  !     The  best  shops  are  near  the  Great  Bell,  be- 
s.de  wh.ch  formerly  stood  a  stone  with  an  inscription  calling 
on  all  Koreans  to  put  intruding  foreigners  to  death.     So  small 
are  they  that  all  goods  are  within  reach  of  the  hand.     In  one 
of  the  three  broad  streets,  there  are  double  rows  of  removable 
booths,  m  which  now  and  then  a  small  box  of  Korean  «;>//. 
^  ork.  iron  mla.d  with  silver,  may  be  picked  up.     In  these  and 
others  the  pr.nc.pal  commodities  are  white  cottons,  straw 
shoes>  bamboo  hats,  coarse  pottery,  candlesticks,  with  draught 
«:reens.  combs,  glass  beads,  pipes,  tobacco  pouches,  spittoons 

kinds,  wooden  p.llow-ends,  decorated  pillowcases,  fans,  ink- 
cases,  huge  wooden  saddles  with  green  leather  flaps  bossed  with 
s.lver,  laundry  st.cks,  dried  persimmons,  loathsome  candies 
dyed  magenta,  scarlet,  and  green,  masses  of  dried  seaweed 
and   fung.,   and   ill-chosen  collections  of  the  most  trumpery 

mirrSr'^r    T'    '"'^^    ''   "■''P'""^    ^"°^^"^    '«"^P«'    ^and 
mirrors,  t.nsel  vases,  etc.,  the  genius  of  bad  taste  presiding 

Plain  brass  dinner  sets  and  other  brass  articles  are  made, 


m 


'  :  M 


'•I 


42  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

and  some  mother-of-pearl  inlaying  i„  black  lacquer  from  old 
designs  ,s  occasionally  to  be  purchased,  and  embroideries  in 
.Ik  and  gold  thread,  but  the  designs  are  ugly,  and  the  color- 
ing atrocious.     Foreigners  have  bestowed  the  name  Cabinet 

n.ak.ng  of  bureaus  and  marriage  chests.  These,  though  not 
mass.ve  look  so,  and  are  really  handsome,  some  being  of  solid 
chestnut  wood  others  veneered  with  maple  or  pefch,  and 
bossed  strapped,  and  hinged  with  brass,  besides  being  orna- 
mented wuh  great  brass  hasps  and  brass  padlocks  6  inches 
long.     These  besides  being  thoroughly  Korean,  are  distinctly 

ta  d'h     '•'"  r  ''"  '"^^"'  ^^"P*  -  '"^^  -r^y  --n- 
ing,  and  shopping  does  not  seem  a  pastime,  partly  because 

none^but  the  poorest  class  of  women  can  go  out  o'n  f^by 

In  the  booths  are  to  be  seen  tobacco  pipes,  pipestems,  and 
bowl  ,  coarse  ghzed  pottery,  rice  bowls,  Japanese  lucifer 
matches,  aniline  dyes,  tobacco  pouches,  purses,  flint  and  tinder 
pouches,  rolls  of  oiled  paper,  tassels,  silk  cord,  nuts  of  the 
edible  pine,  nee,  millet,  maize,  peas,  beans,  string  shoes,  old 
crinoline  hats,  bamboo  and  reed  hats  in  endless  variety,  and 
coarse  native  cotton,  very  narrow. 

In  this  great  human  hive,  the  ordinary  sightseer  finds  his 
vocation  gone.  The  inhabitants  constitute  the  "sight"  of 
Seoul.  The  great  bronze  bell,  said  to  be  the  third  largest  in 
the  world  IS  one  of  the  fev.  ''sights  "  usually  seen  by  stran- 
gers.  It  hangs  in  a  bell  tower  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  and 
bears  the  following  inscription  :_ 

''  Sye  Cho  the  Great,  12th  year  Man  cha  fyear  of  the  cvclel 
LA.D.1468J,  the  head  of  the  bureau  of  Royal  despatches  Sve 

This  bell,  whose  dull  heavy  boom  is  heard  in  all  parts  of 
Seoul,  has  opened  and  closed  the  gates  for  five  centuries. 


First  Impressions  of  the  Capital  43 

rn?!K^'"'",^  '"^^  ^^''^'^  °^  '^"^  ^°y^'  P*''*^^  *'th  its  double 

roof,  the  old  audience  hall  in  the  Mulberry  Gardens,  and  the 
decorative  roofs  of  the  gate  towers,  are  all  seen  in  an  hour. 
There  remains  the  Marble  Pagoda,  seven  centuries  old,  so  com- 
ple  ely  hidden  away  in  the  back  yard  of  a  house  in  one  of  the 
foulest  and  narrowest  alleys  of  the  city,  that  many  people 
never  see  u  at  all      As  I  was  intent  on  photographing  some  of 
he  rehefs  upon  ,t,  I  visited  it  five  times,  and  each  Le  with 
fresh  admiration ;  but  so  w.^fg.a  in  is  it.  that  one  can  only  get 
any  kind  of  view  of  it  by  climbing  on  the  top  of  a  wall. 
Every  part  is  carved,  and  the  flat  parts  richly  so.  some  of  the 
tablets  representing  Hindu  divinities,  while  others  seem  to 
^rtray  the  vanous  stages  of  the  soul's  progress  towards  Nir- 
vana.     The  designs  are  undoubtedly  Indian,  modified  by 
Chinese  artists,  and  this  thing  of  beauty  stands  on  the  site  of 
a  Buddhist  monastery.     It  is  a  thirteen-storied  pagoda,  but 
three  stones  were  taken  off  in  the  Japanese  invasion  three 
centuries  ago.  and  placed  on  the  ground  uninjured.     So  they 
remained,  but  on  my  last  visit  children  had  defaced  the  ex 
quisite  carving,  and  were  offering  portions  for  sale.     Not  far 

tablet  standing  on  the  back  of  a  granite  turtle  of  prodigious 
s.ze.  Outside  the  west  gate,  on  a  plain  near  the  Peking  Pas 
was  a  roofed  and  highly  decorated  arch  of  that  form  known  .s 
the  paaou,,  and  close  by  it  a  sort  of  palace  hall,  in  which 
every  new  sovereign  of  Korea  waited  for  the  coding  of  a 
special  envoy  from  Peking,  whom  he  joined  at  the  paiL,  ac 
companying  h.m  to  the  palace,  where  he  received  from  him  his 
investiture  as  sovereign. 
On  the  slope  of  Nam-San  the  white  wooden  buildings,  sim- 

a^d  '^^  ""Pr''""°r'  °'  ^'^  J^f'"'^^^  L^^^''°"  -e  ^tuated. 

lintr  •?.'?  V'""^  ''''''y  °^  "^^^'>^  5,000  persons 
equipped  with  tea-houses,  a  theatre,  and  the  various  aVrange^ 
ments  essential  to  Japanese  well-being.     There,  in  acute  con- 
trast to  everything  Korean,  are  to  be  seen  streets  of  shops  and 


■lij 


*    1         ■ 


I 


44 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


houses  where  cleanliness,  daintiness,  and  thrift  reign  supreme 
and  unve.led  women,  and  n.  ^n  in  gir.iled  dressing  gown  a„d 
clog,  move  about  as  freely  as  in  Japan.  There  a' o  a" 
seen  m.nuic  sold.ers  or  military  police,  and  smart  be-sworded 
officers,  who  change  guard  at  due  intervals ;  nor  are  such  ore 
caufons  needless,  for  the  heredity  of  hate 'is  strong  ,n  Korea 

to  fight  the  r  way  down  to  the  sea.     The  Legation  was  occu 

with  n  T  T  °^"^  '"^  ^"'^  "^y  ^'-  ^^-•' -^  ^'der  y  man 
w.th  pendulous  white  whiskers,  who  went  much  into  the  little 
socety  wh.ch  Seoul   boasts,  talked   nothings,  and  gave  no 

Idmirabl^TantV^^  '''  '''''''''  ^^"^  -'  P-  ««-•  ^o'H 

fp  Jh  *•  ^^''"^'^  ''"'"'"y  ^''  '"  ^^94  nearly  as  large,  and  dif- 
fered ,n  no  respect  from  such  a  colony  anywhere  ese     The 
ore.gners  depend  for  many  things  on  the  Chinese  shops.  Id 

Zvatn  of  V   ""P°f"f/'^'"^"'  ^°»"ected  with  China  was 

of  Was  S  '  K  '  '"""'''■  ''"''''^"^  ^"^  representative 

hL  !,    u      .'"■""'  ^y  "'''"y  P"°P'^  ^^g"^^d  as  "  the  power 
behmd  the  throne."  who  is  reported  to  have  gone  more  than 
once  unbidden   into  the  King's   presence,  and  to  h  ve  re 
preached  h.m  with  his  conduct  of  affairs.     Great  courtyards 
and  lofty  gates  on  which  are  painted  the  usual  guardian  g'oSs 
and  a  bnck  dragon  screen,  seclude  the  palace  in  which  Yua,^ 
l.ved  wuh  his  guards  and  large  retinue;  and  the  null  of 
b  g,  superohous  men.  dressed   in  rich  brocades  and  satins 
who  hung  about  both  this  Palace  and  the  Consulate,  imp"^  d 
the  Koreans  w.th   the   power  and  stateliness  within      The 
Americans  were  very  severe  on  Yuan,  but  so  far  as  I  could 
earn  h     ,h.ef  fault  was  that  he  let  things  alone,  and  negle^   d 
to  use  h.s  unquestionably  great  power  in  favor  of  reform  and 
common  honesty-but  he  was  a  Chinese   mandarin       He 
possessed    the    power    of   life    and    death   over  Chiname" 


First  Impressions  of  the  Capital  4J 

lui  ^e  reared  him  so  much  that  thty  treated  the 
K„.a.  fa,r„  „„,  wKich  U  ™„.  ,„a„  ca„  ^  .rdj  1' 

One  of  the  "sights"  of  Seoul  i,  the  Wream  or  drain  or 
watereourse    a  wide,   walled,  open  conduit,  alng  tuchZ 

length,  among  manure  an,  refuse  ^eaps  which  cover  up  most 
of  what  was  once  its  sh,  ,gi,  1«|.    There,  tired  of  crow* 

Which  p^  fo;i- :::^  othe^tarrc  :.'"i„TeT;;d^ 

iwols  whjch  pass  for  a  stream      An  us  m  tnc  lend 

is  M™h„  .„  .1,  ,  •*  '  ""■■  "»«  costume,  which 

he^'„e.l  °       ""•""'•  "  «''""  ''"^  °>^'-"  """'•>  coat  with 
the     neck    p„   over  the  head  and  clutched  below  the  eves 
and  long  wide  sleeves  falling  from  ,he  ea,..    I,  is  "I  ZuZl 
e  Korean  woman  i,  concealed,  for  she  is  no.a    „u  i      vL? 
ng  .s  her  man.fest  destiny  ,0  long  as  her  lord  wears  Jwte 

.a.ndr„  and  the'^o^^sold' whit  ZZ  Z  ^^J^ 
Seoul  „,gh. ,.  the  regular  beat  ot  their  laundry  s.ks 
and  from  /  ^"T  "'"  ''^"'•''"''  '-"  "■»  Lo"  T^e  Hill 
seen,  witn  Its  mountainous  surroundings  hf>r«>  3n,i  ♦!,  j  , 
w.,h  pine,,  bu,  mostly  naked,  rn'r^'^riX  tZtt 
btack  and  corrugations.  These  mountains  ewlosl  a  2lev 
crammed  and  wpHrrpH      tk^    -.l    •  "j'-'uu  j^cupie  are 

mostly  Of  .ha.crf:L„r-:—:r.^r:nr<; 


J^ 


46 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


open  spaces.  Rising  out  of  this  brown  sea  there  are  the 
curved  double  roofs  of  the  gales,  and  the  gray  granite  walls  of 
the  royal  palaces,  and  within  them  the  sweeping  roofs  of  vari- 
ous audience  halls.  Cutting  the  city  across  by  running  from 
the  east  to  the  west  gate  is  one  broad  street,  another  striking 
off  from  this  runs  to  the  south  gate,  and  a  third  60  yards  wide 
runs  from  the  great  central  artery  to  the  palace.  This  is  the 
only  one  which  is  kept  clear  of  encumbrance  at  all  times, 
the  others  being  occupied  by  double  rows  of  booths,  leaving 
only  a  narrow  space  for  traffic  on  either  side.  When  I  first 
looked  down  on  Seoul  early  in  March,  one  street  along  its 
whole  length  appeared  to  be  still  encumbered  with  the  drift  of 
the  previous  winter's  snow.  It  was  only  by  the  aid  of  a  glass 
that  I  discovered  that  this  is  the  great  promenade,  and  that 
the  snowdrift  was  just  the  garments  of  the  Koreans,  whitened 
by  ceaseless  labor  with  the  laundry  sticks.  In  these  three 
broad  streets  the  moving  crowd  of  men  in  white  robes  and 
black  dress  hats  seldom  flags.  They  seem  destitute  of  any  ob- 
ject. Many  of  them  are  of  the  yang-ban  or  noble  class,  to 
whom  a  rigid  etiquette  forbids  any  but  official  or  tutorial  occu- 
pation, and  many  of  whom  exist  by  hanging  on  to  their  more 
fortunate  relatives.  Young  men  of  the  middle  class  imitate 
their  nonchalance  and  swinging  gait. 

There,  too,  are  to  be  seen  officials,  superbly  dressed, 
mounted  on  very  fat  but  handsome  ponies,  with  profuse  manes 
and  tails,  the  riders  sitting  uneasily  on  the  tops  of  saddles 
with  showy  caparisonings  a  foot  high,  holding  on  to  the  saddle 
bow,  two  retainers  leading  the  steed,  and  two  more  holding 
the  rider  in  his  place ;  or  officials  in  palanquins,  with  bearers 
at  a  run,  amid  large  retinues.  In  the  more  plebeian  streets 
nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  bulls  carrying  pine  brush,  strings  of 
ponies  loaded  with  salt  or  country  produce,  water-carriers 
with  pails  slung  on  a  yoke,  splashing  their  contents,  and 
coolies  carrying  burdens  o;  wooden  pack  saddles. 

But  in  the  narrower  alleys,  of  which  there  are  hundreds, 


First  Impressions  of  the  Capital  47 

further  narrowed  by  the  low  deep  eaves,  and  the  vile  ditches 
outside  the  houses,  only  two  men  can  pass  each  other,  and  the 
noble  red  bull  with  his  load  of  brushwood  is  rarely  seen.  Be- 
tween these  miles  of  mud  walls,  deep  eaves,  green  sliray  ditches, 
and  blackened  smoke  holes,  few  besides  the  male  inhabitants 
and  burden  bearers  are  seen  to  move.  They  are  the  paradise 
of  mangy  dogs.  Every  house  has  a  dog  and  a  sq- .ire  hole 
through  which  he  can  just  creep.  He  yelps  furiously  at  a 
stranger,  and  runs  away  at  the  shaking  of  an  umbrella.  He 
was  the  sole  scavenger  of  Seoul,  and  a  very  inefficient  one. 
He  is  neither  the  friend  nor  companion  of  man.  He  is 
ignorant  of  Korean  and  every  other  spoken  language.  His 
bark  at  night  announces  peril  from  thieves.  He  is  almost  wild. 
When  young  he  is  killed  and  eaten  in  spring. 

I  have  mentioned  the  women  of  the  lower  classes,  who  wash 
clothes  and  draw  water  in  the  daytime.  Many  of  these  were 
domestic  slaves,  and  all  are  of  the  lowest  class.  Korean 
women  are  very  rigidly  secluded,  perhaps  more  absolutely  so 
than  the  women  of  any  other  nation.  In  the  capital  a  very 
curious  arrangement  prevailed.  About  eight  o'clock  the  great 
bell  tolled  a  signal  for  men  to  retire  into  their  houses,  and  for 
women  to  come  out  and  amuse  themselves,  and  visit  their 
friends.  The  rule  which  clears  the  streets  of  men  occasionally 
lapses,  and  then  some  incident  occurs  which  causes  it  to  be 
rigorously  reenforced.  So  it  was  at  the  time  of  my  arrival, 
and  the  pitch  dark  streets  presented  the  singular  spectacle  of 
being  tenanted  solely  by  bodies  of  women  with  servants  carry- 
ing lanterns.  From  its  operation  were  exempted  blind  men, 
officials,  foreigners'  servants,  and  persons  carrying  prescrip- 
tions to  the  druggists'.  These  were  often  forged  for  the  purpose 
of  escape  from  durance  vile,  and  a  few  people  got  long  staffs 
and  personated  blind  men.  At  twelve  the  bell  again  boomed, 
women  retired,  and  men  were  at  liberty  to  go  abroad.  A  lady 
of  high  position  told  me  that  she  had  never  seen  the  streets  of 
Seoul  by  daylight. 


48 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


The  nocturnal  silence  is  very  impicssivo.  There  is  no 
human  hum,  throb,  or  gurgle.  The  darkness  too  is  absolute, 
as  there  are  few  if  any  lighted  windows  to  the  streets.  Upon 
a  silence  which  may  be  felt,  the  deep,  penetrating  boom  of 
the  great  bell  breaks  with  a  sound  which  is  almost  ominous. 


TURTLE  STONE 


.ii 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   KUR-DONG 

T3EF0RE  leaving  England  letters  from  Korea  had  warned 
XJ   me  of  the  difficulty  of  travelling  in  the  interior,  of  getting 
a  trustworthy  servant,  and  above  all,  a  trustworthy  nterpr^r 
Weeks  passed  by,  and  though  Bishop  Corfe  and  oLrs  exerted 

t2^""  "%""'  ^f''''  ''''''  ^^^"^^'^'  ^^q"'«i^«  were  not 
forthcoming,  for  to  find  a  reliable  English-speaking  Korean  is 
well-n.gh  impossible.     There  are  English-speaking  Korean 
who  have  learned  English,  some  in  the  Government  Schoo 
and  others  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  School,  and  many  o 
these  I  in  erviewed.     The  English  of  all  was  infirm,  and  they 

them  17  "'  '"'''  '  "^  ^'  P°°^  "-^"--     Som-f 
them  seemed  very  anxious  to  go  with  me,  and  were  partially 

inftlits:!     '''  T  '7  ^^"^'  ^°°^'"^  ""-y'  -d  bal 
"ig  themselves  on  the  edge  of  their  chairs,  told  me  that  their 

mo  hers  said  they  must  not  go  because  there  were  tiger    o 

n"t  .0 !o  n   T ''' '°"^ ' J°""^^>'' °^ '"^^^ '^'y -"W 

not  go  so  far  from  their  families,  etc.  At  last  a  young  man 
came  who  really  spoke  passable  English,  but  on  entering  the 
oom  with  a  familiar  nod.  he  threw  himself  down  in  an  fay! 
chair,  swinging  his  leg  over  the  arm  !  He  asked  many  ques- 
tions about  the  journey,  said  it  was  very  long  to  be  awaylm 
Seoul,  and  that  he  should  require  one  horfe  for  his  baggag^ 
T  TT'J'J  "■""''•      '  ^^'"-^^d  '^-^'  -  order  to  ge! 

in  !•  J  r  ^^^T  ''  '""'''  ''  P°^^'^>^-     ««  «^id  he  could  not 

foJ^l         u       ,  "'"'  '"''^  °^  '^''^'''  '     I  -'"-ked  that  a 
foreigner  would  only  take  two.  and  that  I  should  reduce  my- 

49 


% 


'i 

1 


liiiy 


50 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


self  to  two      "  Yes."  he  replied,  "  but  foreigners  are  so  dirty 
n  their  habus."     This  from  a  Korean  I     So'once  more  ltd 
o  settle  down,  and  accept  the  kindly  hospitality  of  my  friends 
trustnig  that  something  would  "  turn  up."  ' 

By  this  delay  I  came  in  for  the  Kur-don^^  one  of  the  mn«^ 
remarkable  spectacles  I  ever  saw,  and  it  had^lhe  addedtt^r 
of  being  seen  m  us  splendor  for  probably  the  last  time  as 
circumstances  which  have  since  occurred,  and  the  nece  L"  y 
for  economy,  must  put  an  end  to  much  of  the  scenic  display 
The  occas,on  was  a  visit  of  the  King  in  state  to  sacrifice  in 
one  of  the  ancestral  temples  of  his  dynasty,  members  of  which 
have  occupied  the  Korean  throne  for  five  centuries.     Living 
ortddl  '?     "  '''"''  ^""'^'  ^^  ''°-  --^'  his  subject! 
known,  m  total  ignorance  of  any  other  aspect  of  his  kingdom 
and  capital  t.an  that  furnished  by  the  two  streets  through 
which  he  passes  to  offer  sacrifice,  the  days  on  -vhich  he  per- 
forms  this  pious  act  offer  to  his  subjects  their  sole  opportuni- 
ties of  gazing  on  his  august  countenance.     As  the  QueeVs 
pnxession  passed  by  on  the  day  of  the  Duke  of  York's  mar! 
mge,  I  heard  a  workingman  say,  -It's  we  as  pays,  and  we 
hkes  to  get  the  valey  for  our  money."    The  Korean  paysTn 
another  and  heavier  sense,  and  as  in  tens  of  thousands  he 

probably  glad  that  the  one  brilliant  spectacle  of  tht  yei 
should  be  as  splendid  as  possible.  ^ 

The  monotony  of  Seoul  is  something  remarkable.     Brown 
mountains  '^picked  out"  in  black,  brown  .ud  walls,  bZ 

1     n  black  and  white.     Always  the  same  bundled-up  women 

surge  oiyang.bam  and  their  familiars  swinging  along  South 
"If  an  apology  be  necessary  for  the  following  minute  description  - 


t 

r 
v 
o 

C( 

ci 


The   Kur-dong 


•■"g  ioads  of  brus  3  "''^''''  '^^  ^""^  ""^^^  tower- 

ever  carrying  ^^';^:;'"''  T"'"  '"  ^''^'^  -'^''^'  ^^r- 

[eebi,  -ng,i4':f::":ir^^-:;tt^  -       dogs! 

lessness.  the  ir...-./.«.  burst   like  .h         '"^""^^"y  ^"d  color- 
but  fascinating  capi  fl     , !?    ,  '""•     ^'^^  '"^^  ^^'^  '"ean 

civilization sho'idT::;'!;^^^   rr  ''-'^  ^^^^^^^ 

By  six  in  the  morninVof  thf      u  °,  .'' °"' 'P^^^^^'^-' 
our  way  from  the  Engl ^LegL  'n   o"a        "  '''  "^  ^^"^  °" 
Bell,  all  the  male  populadofof    .       r''^ 
direction,  along  with  chi  d^  n  f   '"  ''^'"^  ^'^^  «^'-  ^ 

poore.  class  of  wriu  wh'  "  7° '''  ^"^  ^^"^^  ^^  ^he 
fashion  on  their  ha"  ^  h'efi  ^r!  "r'"'^  '°^'^^  ^°-- 
portions  of  the  road  called  t  f  '  ^  ''^  '^^  ^^^"^  P^o- 

double  rows  of  booths  had  I  "^"''■'  ^""''^  ^^'■^^^-  ^'^e 
and  along  the  side  o  ^he  ^t  eT  T7'  f  "'"^'^^  ^^^-^ 
torches  zo  feet  high  were  let  1  '.  ""'"''  °^  '°  V^'^'' 
on  his  return  fro.  s  rifi  1^  n  frf  ^ '^'^  *'^^  ^'"^ 
width  that  this  great  street  if.;^  .  ,r  ^^^  ^^  "'  ''"P°«''»g 
the  houses  are  lol  ad  tea     and  '°  '"''  ^  "'^P'^^^'  ^- 

-P-ior  hovels.     I„  ^r^'^ ^ LX'-^  "  '7  '''  °"'^ 

massed  twelve  deep,  the  regularitvofH    V"'''  '"^J'"''  ^"""^ 
served  by  a  number  ^/^""'"^>'  °^  ^he  front  row  being  pre- 

their  woo'den  pT  d  s  wifrr  """^^%  ^^^  brought  do^. 
breaking  the  line.  Ve.r,""''*^''"' ^^'^^^^  °"  ^ny  one 
coats  and  black  crinoliL  E  '  """"^'"^  °'  ^'^^V  ^'^''^e 
grooms  in  yello.  ha  s  2  I  /'''''^  '^^  ^"^  ^"^e- 
coats  of  women,  and  he  greT  TV  Tr'  '^  '"  ^^^^"  ^''k 
red  dresses  of  children  rt  ^Tu  ^^'''°''^P^  '"^  Turkey 
very  limp  look.     There  was  noTir.       ^  ^"'■'">'  P'^^^  '^^  ^"t 

or  popular  demonstrator  :^  :  ^c^er;  Tf'T'  "°  '^^^ 
course  which  must  h■,^r.  '     ,     ''f'^'^^'y  a  hum  from  a  con- 

city,  together  witrn  rberrftl"  ^"'  '^°'°°°'  ^^'^  ''^^ 

'  t,om  the  country  who  had  walked 


ill  i  ■ 
I, 
il  X  il 


m 


i  y 


Korea  and  Her  Neighb 


ors 

three  and  four  days  to  see  the  -pecUde.  Squalid  and  mear. 
IS  ordinary  Korean  life,,  and  the  King  is  a  myth  for  most  of 
the  year.  No  wonder  that  the  people  turn  out  to  see  a.s  splen- 
did a  spectacle  as  the  world  has  to  show,  its  splendor  certring 
round  their  usually  secluded  sovereiga.  It  is  to  the  glory  oi  a 
dynasty  which  has  occupied  the  Korean  throne  ior  five  cen- 
turies as  well  as  in  honor  of  the  present  occupant. 

The  hour  of  leaving  the  palace  had  bt-n  announced  ,-s  6  a. 
M.,  but  though  it  was  7.30  before  the  boom  of  a  heavy  gvivl 
announcc^d  that  t^,e  procession  was  in  motion,  the  imere-^t 
never  flagged  the  --hol<;  rime.     H- .ndreds  of  coolies  sprinkled 
red  earth  for  the  widt!.  of  a  foot  along  the  middle  of  the 
streets,  lor  hypotheuca'ly  the  King  must  not  pass  over  sull 
which  has  been  trod-.!^.:  by  the  feet  of  his  subjects.     Squad- 
rons of  cavalry,  with  coolies  leading  their  shabby  ponies,  took 
lip  positions  along  the  route,  and  in  a  great  mass  in  front  of 
us.     The  trooperi  sat  on  the  ground  smoking,  till  a  very  dis- 
trait  bugle  call  sent  them  to  their  saddles.     The  ponies  bit 
kicked,  and  squealed,  and  the  grotesque  and  often  ineffectual 
attempts  of  the  men  to  mount  them  provoked  the  laughter  of 
the  crowd,  as  one  trooper  after  another,  with  one  foot  in  the 
st:fnjp  and  the  other  on  the  ground,  hopped  round  at  the 
pleasure  of  his  steed.     After  all,  with  the  help  of  their  coolies, 
were  mounted,  whacks  secretly  administered  by  men  in  the 
crowd  nearly  unhorsed  many  of  them,  but  they  clung  with 
both  hands  to  their  saddle  bows  and  eventually  formed  into  a 
ragged  line. 

Among  the  very  curious  sights  were  poles  carried  at  meas- 
urea  distances  supporting  rectangular  frames  resembling  small 
umbrella  stands,  filled  with  feathered  arrows,  and  messengers 
dashing  along  as  if  they  had  been  shot  and  were  escaping  from 
another  shaft,  for  from  the  backs  of  their  collars  protruded 
arrows  which  had  apparently  entered  obliquely.  Either  on 
the  back  or  breast  or  both  of  the  superb  dresses  of  officials 
were  satin  squares  embroidered  in  unique  designs,  representing 


r 

I 


s 

t 
s 
b 

si 


The    Kur-dong 


Though  there  were  long  stretches  of  silence,  scarcely  broken 
by  the  hum  of  a  multitude,  there  were  noisy  nterludes  "ove^ 
■n  the,r  nature,  produced  by  men,  sometimes  lifte  n  h  'a"  ow 

ul:  Them     1*.'  f"  ^  ""■"'"  "'  -''  "■'=-  '--  y   '  -g 
upon  them  which  they  tossed  into  the  air  and  allowed  to  faH 

against  each  other  with  a  metallic  clink,  loud  and  «r  den 

Ldtew.se  the  trains  of  servants  in  attendance  on  m  nda     ; 

em  ted  pecuhar  cries,  sounding   G  in  unison,  then  rafs   I 

ous^l°to"Lr'r  "'"1'  '"^''  '"'  """''■  «-  ™<»tcuri. 

Hg...  Han.  St,,  „3e  z^i:z^.:]:jx^  z 
wuho  e":ti:;'r:i„ ;;',  t '-"  '*^'"  --'^  •»  «>"^- 

consisted  in  lim„^  ^A    ,i  ^''^"""'«  °f  *=  P"f°™ance 

again  bringingtfm'::!'.,.'::;,^-;:,f;th:T''r""'' 

crossed,  and  durina  fv      >        u  "^^ '"'^''7  the  sticks  were 

feebly  'fell   on  t  fe  ds     '  "e' "I  "''''  ""  '"''y'  ^"^  ^ 
sound,  and  tlus  1^"  1  .  "*"'  P''"^"'^'"^  ^  "^''^^d 

of  the  march.       ^''^°^'^'"^'^^- ^  ^^^^  '"^P^-ted  during  the  duration 

a.^top:drsra:;^^i^^-^^--^^^ 

side  street      rin^^  , ,    ,  ""  '''°^''  ^^''^^'^^^  arms  in  a 

.-  See  al:!  r  „  t„rr„  t'^  -r'  r "  ^ 

sleeved  cloaks    hln^  nn^      """^reds  in  brown  glazed  cotton 


54  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

fed  ^^^'"'^V'''''^' 'u'^'^'  "'''^°"^  ^''■^"-'  ^-^^  -"i">als  being 
led  by  coohes.  H.gh  officials  passed  in  numbers  in  ci^airs  of 
on  pony  back,  each  with  from  twenty  to  thirty  gay  at^  Ints 
running  bes.de  him,  and  a  row  of  bannermen  ex^S "cro 

beLinrtl  ''"''  '^''"'  ""'  ^^^*^  -"^^  -^'^  -  "ne 

perb  v'dressed°'"r"/'  '"  ^"'-     '^'^"^  °«^--'»  --  su 
perbly  dressed,  and  made  a  splendid  show.     They  wore  black 

h  gh-crowned  hats,  with   long  crimson   tassels  Uind    and 
heavy,   black  ostrich  plumes  falling  over  the  hrJTf     / 

orgHiktV'^  ^obes,  spiit.upix  :ist^b:.:d,tt 

loo  elv  tL    t'      :'  '"^  ""'''  voluminous  crimson  trouse.^. 
loosely  tied  above  the  ankles  with  knots  of  sky  blue  ribbon 
wh,Ie  streamers  of  ribbon  fell  from  throats  and  g  dl      and 
^e  hats  were  secured  by  throat  lashes  of  large  aSbeal 

s^J  e  iTchtr  f  ^'""''"  ^  ^^"^^  ''^  bfnneret "ith     s 
s  yle  ,n  Ch  nese  characters  in  crimson  upon  it,  and  in  the 

cTr  bbon  'de"°".  °'f  ^^'  ''''''  ^  P-^-^"  of'strl^ o 
rrch  nbbons  dependmg  from  it.     The  sleeves  w.re  orange  in 

the    pper  part  and  crimson  in  the  lower,  and  very  fuu/   ' 
rhe  overfed  and  self-willed  ponies,  chiefly  roan  and  gray 

ered  with  blue,  red,  and  yellow  balls,  and  surmounted  whh 

sTk1c:~;fdr''°"^'  ''^  ^^^^'-  -ouple^'l^on' 
s  Ik  scarves  the  saddles  a  sort  of  leather-covered  padded  pack 
saddle  r.  inches  above  the  animal's  back,  with  wide  deep 
flaps  of  bnght  green  silver-bossed  leather  hanging  down  on 
euher  s.de,  the  cruppers  folded  white  silk,  and  th  breasTplate 
shields  of  gold  embroidery.     The  gorgeou   rider,    ift  d  bv  ,  ! 

h  s  feet  not  halfway  down  his  pony's  sides,  his  left  hand 
c  u  ch.ng  rather  than  holding  an  arch  placed  or  thi  Ipo  e 
at  the  bow  of  the  saddle.  These  officials  made  no  teZ  to 
hold  their  own  bridles,  their  ponies  were  led  by  servfnTs  rl 
tamers  supported  them  by  the  feet  on  either  side,  and  as^he^ 
counts  showed  their  resentment  of  the  pace  and   i^cums  a- 


The   Kur-dong  ^^ 

by  twistings  and  stragglings  with  their  grooms,  the  faces  of 
the  nders  expressed  "a  fearful  joy."  if  ..joy  -  t  ^ 

Waves  of  color  and  Korean  grandeur  rolled  by,  offi'cial  ore 
cessions,  palace  attendants,  bannermen,  with  large  siU^Tannlr 
trading  on  the  stiff  breeze,  each  flagstaff  crested  wUh  a  tuf  of 

fir  rcZe  s  a  r  r"'''r°'"^  ^^"^  p-p^^'  ^— -«. 

the  r  coa^Jh  M      ^^  ^^'  ""''^  '""^^  ^'"'^^  '"'°  the  necks  o 
their  coats  holding  on  to  their  saddles  and  rope  bridles  mixed 

up  with  dishevelled  ponies  with  ragged  pack  saddles  car"    g 

i"g  appara  us,  led  caparisoned  ponies,  bowmen,  soldiers  stra^ 
gl.ng  loosely,  armed  with  matchlock  guns,  till  s  veralTou  and 
persons  had  passed.     Yet  this  was  not  the  procession   though 
It  might  well  have  served  for  one.  P^-^cession,  though 

At  7.30,  while  this  "  march  past "  was  still  going  on   a  eun 
was  fired,  and  the  great  bell,  which  was  verydose'to  .s 

scZ^'o^fif  ^'  ^"'  '  '^r^^°"^^^  °^  trumpTt^ante   h    ; 

paac"    The"  T"""'' -'"'''  "^^  "^'  ^^^  ''  ^-^  ^eft  the 

es ty  by  Zi;7  7  °''"''  "  P"P^"^  '°  --•-  H-  Maj. 
esty  by  futmn^  tail,  a  manoeuvre  not  accomplished  witho,  f 

trsper:?mr  t '"^-     ^^^^^  ^'-  ^  ^en^erlll:!:; 

luyTe re  w-  -    "^  1    T"'  '"  ^'''''  ^°^'^  ^^""P^^  frantic 
any,  there  was  an  onslaught  on  the  "  Derby  doe  "  and  an  .* 

or  «  r=„iV  ?       '   °  "^"■nP''"  masses,  at  a  statelv  walk 

or  .  rap,d  ru,.,  .n  .he  full  spendor  of  a  barbaric  medtevaC 


•iHt 


i6 


Korea  ar,.!  Her  Neighbors 


of  colo7  *''''^  ^'«"'^^'''^^  flashed  by  in  the  kaleidoscopic  blaze 

The  procession  of  the  King  was  led  by  the  "general  of  the 
vanguard,"  superbly  dressed,  supported  by  re^in.-  on  his  led 
pony,  and  followed  by  crowds  of  dign  ...,es,  each  with  his 
train  soldier.,,  men  carrying  aloft  frames  of  arrows,  reaching 
nearly  across  the  road,  and  huge  flags  of  silk  brocade  sur 
mounted  »y  plumes  of  pheasant's  feathers,  servants  in  rows  of 
a  hundred  :.  the  most  delicate  shades  of  blue,  green,  or  mauve 
s.lk  gau^e  c  v»r  white,  halberdiers,  grandees,  each  with  a  ret- 

"'7uf  "'  M?T^"'  '°'''  °^  ""^y^^  bannermen  carrying  yellow 
and  b  ut  s.lk  flags  emblazoned,  cavalry  mt.  in  imitation  rold 
helmets  and  medieval  armor,  and  tiger  hunters  wearing  coarse 
black  felt  hats  with  conical  crowns  and  dark  blue  coats,  trail- 
ing long  guns.     With  scarcely  a  pause  follr  .ved  the  President 
of  the  Foreign  Office,  high  above  the  crowd  on  a  monocycle, 
a  black  wheel  supporting  on  two  uprights  a  black  platform, 
carrying  a  black  chair  decorated  with  a  leopard  skin,  the  oc- 
cupant ot  which  was  carried  by  eight  men  at  a  height  of  8 
feet  fron.  the  ground.     More  soldiers,  bannermen,  and  drnm- 
mers,  and  then  came  the  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  grandly  dressed, 
with  an  immense  retinue,  and  a  lai^e  number  of  his  subordi- 
nates, most  of  whom  up  to  that  time,  by  th-  r  position  in  the 
palace  and  their  capacity      v  i„tr.:.ue,  had     zeroised  a  very 
baneful  influence  on  Korean  afTairs. 

The  procession  became  more  quaint  and  motley  still  Palace 
attendants  appeared  i  theK.:i;..nt  garment,  of  th^  Ko  ■  ui 
middle  ages;  cavalry  in  antique  armor  were  jumbled  up  with 
cavalry  in  loose  cotton  frocks  and  baggy  trousers  supposed  to 
be  dressed  and  armed  in  European  fashion,  but  I  failed  to  de- 
tect the  flattery  of  imitation.  There.  c  ^Iry  in  black 
ryro  ese  hats  with  pink  ribbon  round  the  bl  cotton  sacks 
loosely  girdled  by  leather  belts  with  brass  ciusps  never  cleaned, 
whit,  -added  stockings,  and  hempen  shoes.  Some  had  leather 
sadd.es,  others  rode  on  pack  saddles,  with  the  great  pad  which 


The   Kur-dong 


S7 

other^'  r  m"^-''"'"''  '"  "•'  '°P'  ^"'"^  '^•^IJ  «»  to  their  saddles 
others  to  the.r  rope  bridles,  the  ponies  of  some  were  kd  bv 
coohes  ,n  d.rty  white  clothes;  the  officers  were  aU  h.M     ^ 

; :;:  rs'^f  7:1 '-'''' r'  -^-^-^-^^^^^z 

make  the.r  animals  kick  ;  the  feet  of  some  nearly  touched  the 

p:rs-'sid:  ^'"^-^^  "^^^^  ^^-^  °"^^  haifwa;r:n , 

form  ragged  lines  ^  ^   ''  ^°"'™'"  "^^"^S^'^  »« 

crim.onT,  ^^u  u  '  ''^""  ^'e'»taries,  statesmen,  some  with 
cnmson  hats  with  heavy  black  plumes,  others  with  high  peaked 
cnnol.ne  hats  with  projecting  wings,  others  with  llf  y  m  tres 

rain.     Mediaeval   costumes   blazing  with  color  flashed  past 

X     Zcatn   "''""  ^"'  ''''  '"^^  ''^y  carried  SnS 
•  ^es,  two  Gat  >ng  guns  were  dragged  by  >,^;«.«  runners   who 

me:  'r Tfr  ^"  ^"'  sundry  with'their  paddieri  m- 
me  s  he-r  drums  unmercifully,  fifes  shrieked,  there  were 

Tuze  'the  ^     '  ""'  '"'■^''^  ^^''""^^  '"  ^J»«  -»d  green  s  k 

"irr    :""";  ■  ^  ^-B^ '"f-""- earned    ,t,: 
01  .t.    After  th,s,  borne  high  aiuft  by  forly  l„,rers  clothed  in 

w..^epa,e.U„,.dLei:^l':;TeT;r:„tT; 


u ' 


A 


;8 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


passed  with  all  the  dignity  n   J  splendor  of  his  kingdom  through 
the  silent  crowd. 

More  grandees,  servants,  soldiers,  standard-bearers,  arrow- 
men,  officials,  cavalry,  and  led  horses  formed  the  procession 
of  the  Crown  Prince,  who  was  also  carried  in  a  red  palanquin, 
and  looked  p;i  r  and  more  impassive  than  his  father.  The 
supply  of  officials  seemed  inexhaustible,  for  behind  him  came 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  grandees  in  splendid  costumes,  with  hats 
decorated  with  red  velvet  and  peacock's  feathers,  and  throat 
lashes  of  great  amber  beads,  with  all  their  splendid  trains,  foot- 
men in  armor  bossed  with  large  nails,  drummers,  men  carry- 
ing arrow  frames  and  insignia  on  poles,  then  the  "general  of 
the  rear  guard"  in  a  gleaming  helmet  and  a  splendid  blue, 
crimson,  and  gold  uniform,  propped  up  by  retainers  on  his 
handsome  pony,  more  soldiers  armed  with  old  matchlock  guns, 
lastly  men  bearing  arrow  frames  and  standards,  and  with  them 
the  barbaric  and  bizarre  splendor  of  the  Kurdong  was  over, 
and  the  white  crowd  once  more  overflowed  the  mean  street. 
Quite  late  in  tiie  evening  the  Royal  pageant  returned  by  the 
light  of  stationary  torches,  with  lantrns  of  blue  and  crimson 
silk  undulating  from  the  heads  of  pikes  and  bayonets. 

This  truly  splendid  display  was  estimated  to  cost  $25,000— 
a  heavy  burden  on  the  small  resources  of  the  kingdom.  It  is 
only  thus  surrounded  that  the  King  ever  appears  in  public,  and 
the  splendor  accentuates  the  squalor  of  the  daily  life  of  the 
masses  of  the  people  in  the  foul  alleys  which  make  up  most  of 
the  city.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  people  taking  part 
in  the  pageant  are  not  men  hired  and  dressed  up  by  a  cos- 
tumier, but  that  they  are  actual  Court  officials  and  noblemen 
in  the  dress  of  to-day,  and  that  the  weapons  carried  by  the  sol- 
diers are  those  with  which  they  are  supposed  to  repel  attack  or 
put  down  rebellion. 


/ 


CHAPTER  IV 

SEOUL,    THE   KORKAK    MECCA 

■pURTHER  difficulties  and  delays,  while  they  pushed  my 
X      journey  into  the  interior  into  the  hot  weatlicr,  gave  me 
the  advantage  of  learning  a  little  about  the  people  and  the 
country  before  starting.     In  one  sense  Seoul  is  Korea.     Take 
a  mean  alley  in  it  with  its  mud-walled  hovels,  deep-eaved  brown 
roofs,  and  malodorous  ditches  with  their  foulness  and  green 
sl.rne,  and  .t  may  serve  as  an  example  of  the  street  of  every 
village  and  provincial  town.     In  country  places  there  are  few 
industrial  specialties.     A  Seoul  shop  of  -assorted  notions" 
represents  the  shop  of  every  country  town.     The  white  cloth- 
ing and  the  crinoline  dress  hat  are  the  same  everywhere  as  in 
Seoul.     Whatever  of  national  life  there  is  exists  only  in  the 
capital.     Strong  as  is  the  drift  towards  London  in  our  own  agri- 
cultural districts,  it  is  stronger  in  Korea  towards  Seoul.     Seoul 
IS  not  only  the  seat  of  government,  but  it  is  the  centre  of  official 
life,  of  all  official  employment,  and  of  the  literary  examina- 
tions which  were  the  only  avenues  to  employment.     It  is  always 
hoped  that  something  may  be  "  piqked  up  "  in  Seoul.     Hence 
there  is  a  constant  permanent  or  temporary  gravitation  towards 
It,  and  the  larger  proportion  of  the  youths  who  swing  and 
lounge  on  sunny  afternoons  along  the  broad  streets,  aping  the 
gait  of  yang-bans,  are  aspira.Us  for  official  position.     Gusts  of 
popular  feeling  which  pass  for  ;n.blic  opinion  in  a  land  where 
no  such  thing  exists  are  known  only  in  Seoul.     It  is  in  the 
capital  that  the  Korean  feels  the  first  stress  of  his  unsought  and 
altogether  undesired  contact  with  Western  civilization,  and  re- 
sembles nothing  so  much  as  a  man  awaking  from  a  profound 

59 


•  -i) 


J 


Si 


«i;; 


3 

";i 
% 


6o 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


sleep,  rubbing  his  eyes  half-dazed  and  looking  dreamily  about 
him,  not  quite  sure  where  he  is. 

Seoul  is  also  the  commercial  centre  of  a  country  whose  ideas 
of  commerce  are  limited  to  huckstering  transactions.  All 
business  is  done  there.  All  country  shops  are  supplied  with 
goods  from  Seoul,  All  produce  not  shipped  from  the  treaty 
ports  converges  on  Seoul.  It  is  the  centre  of  the  great  trading 
guilds,  which  exercise  a  practical  monopoly  in  certain  sorts  of 
goods,  as  well  as  of  the  guild  of  porters  by  whom  the  traffic 
of  the  country  is  carried  on.  Tlie  heart  of  every  Korean  is  in 
Seoul.  Officials  have  town  houses  in  the  capital,  and  trust 
their  business  to  subordinates  for  much  of  the  year.  Landed 
proprietors  draw  their  rents  and  "squeeze"  the  people  on 
their  estates,  but  are  absentees  living  in  the  capital.  Every 
man  wlio  can  pay  for  food  and  lodging  on  the  road  trudges  to 
the  capital  once  or  twice  a  year,  and  people  who  live  in  it,  of 
whatever  degree,  can  hardly  be  bribed  to  leave  it  even  for  a 
few  weeks.  To  the  Korean  it  is  the  place  in  which  alone  life 
is  worth  living. 

Yet  it  has  no  objects  of  art,  very  few  antiquities,  no  public 
gardens,  no  displays  except  the  rare  one  of  the  Kur-dong,  and 
no  theatres.  It  lacks  every  charm  possessed  by  other  cities. 
Antique,  it  has  no  ruins,  no  libraries,  no  literature,  and  lastly 
an  indifference  to  religion  without  a  parallel  has  left  it  without 
temples,  while  certain  superstitions  which  still  retain  their  hold 
have  left  it  without  a  tomb  I 

Leaving  out  the  temple  of  Confucius  and  the  homage  offi- 
cially rendered  to  his  tablet  in  Korea  as  in  China,  there  are  no 
official  temples  in  Seoul,  nor  might  a  priest  enter  its  gales  un- 
der pain  of  death,  consequently  the  emphasis  which  noble  re- 
ligious buildings  give  even  to  the  meanest  city  in  China  or 
Japan  is  lacking.  There  is  a  small  temple  to  the  God  of  War 
outside  the  south  gate,  with  some  very  curious  frescoes,  but  I 
seldom  saw  any  worshippers  there.  The  al)sence  of  temples  is 
a  feature  of  the  other  Korean  cities.     Buddhism,  which  for 


All 
-vith 


of 


in 


ided 
e  on 


J  to 
of 


life 


iblic 
and 


e  no 

un- 

;  re- 

a  or 


IS  IS 

for 


w 


Crt 


W 


C3 


■fii 


i 


i,ooo 


Seoul,  the  Korean  Mecca 


6i 


popular  cult,  has  beei;'.  teKfaWiZ/"'''",' ''^'"'''' ""''' 
«ibed  since  the  si«ee„,U  c    t„  !  1  Kir"""'  "°- 

spirits  may  do  harm  fn  t'       ^       ^         ''"■^^'^  *''^*  ancestral 
1-      ^  inn;?  uu  narm  to  tlieir  desrpn<1ni-.fc.      1^1  •        , 

from  the  King  to  the  coolie  "'ff'"'"""' ,  This  cult  prevails 
of  the  ^».-*L  a  »eU  a  the  T7  "''  ""'^  '"''"■^"'^ 
humbles,  hove,  oL  nI  Y^r'sEr    °''""='"'  '"'"'  '"  '^'^ 

in  a  dingy  alley  w"  1'."  !"7  "  ^°"'^"'  """  =>  ■"""  ^ovel 
with  dignified 'and  car  ^17,7?"'  °"  '  '"""' '""  *P= 
fine  timber  which  ex  st'L.'  surroundings.     The  little 

•s  owed  to  the  Ro/aTJ  !d  ;t  .h  dead  "^h""'"""  "'  ''°"' 
land  occupied  by  the  dead  is  Lil  e'  Th  '""°""'.  °'  ^'^ 
ber  of  the  Royal  familv  on  a  i.^  ^'"'  °'  ^  ■"™- 

siderable  distance  a"ol      m     r!!'"  r"'!'""'  '"'  ^  '™- 
as  well  as  of  nrince,,  .  f  ""^  '■"^''  ""<'  ^''^at  men 

encircled  by  aTas Se  Ze"',"  '  '""''  «""^  ™>'''  »f«" 
front  and  excavated  in      ^       I''^'  """'  ""  '''"  ""•aced  in 

— sto„=„Tar;z:-^tr;tfootof::: 


.  p.  ti 


y    ! 


;  U 


62 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


T'lit  >'  'n-  "''"■""=^'=  T-"''."  '■»  often  occupied  bya  tem- 

me  dead.     1  he  Royal  eorabs  are  approached  by  tiatelv  ave„„e. 
of  g.gan.,c  s,o„e  figures,  possibly  a  harmless  surWal  of    1 
practice  of  offering  human  and  other  sacrifice        a  b„ri 
These  figures  represent  a  priest,  a  warrior  in  armor  a  servan  ' 
a  po,,y  and  a  sheep  (?,.     The  poorer  dead  occupy    S"; 
m  numbers,  rest.ng  under  grass  mounds  on  small  pktfo  m   of 
gn,^  always  neatly  kept.    The  lucky  place  for  interment  ^ 

Of  .be  hillsides  fo'und  Seou'l'  •  Xrenorm^r  '"'""''°" 
Funerals  usually  go  out  near  dusk  with  a  great  disolav  of 

:  rcareZt  b  Tr'T'-^'^  ™°"«-  -  se:'a„"s:i, 
^^or  r  erpir;i' tiy  ^^:::r  '"•'-  -"  - 

a  lively  song.     These  were  fl  lo,    d  bj  a  La  ""ri't'T"','" 
garland  of  art.fical  flowers  in  the  centre  of  the  dome  a  white 

gay  flags  at  the  four  corners,  bamboo  poles,  flower-wreathed 
formmg  a  platform  on  which  the  hearse  was  borne  bv  ett 
men  ,„  peaked  yellow  bats  garlanded  with  blue  aXink  flow 
ers.  Bouquets  of  the  same  were  disposed  carelessly  on  X 
front  and  sides  of  the  hearse,  the  lat'er  bei  ,g  tvL  w  h 
shield-shaped  flags  of  gaudily  colored  muslin  Thr  f 
mourner  followed,  completely  clothe/in  saTkrll  •    " 


'£.  "^  V^.,!^ 


;'\'-^i'k^^.v4-';«> 


Seoul,  the  Korean  Mecca 


63 


The  first  man  to  die  rereiupc  o« i     , 

and  the  third  ,7 TJ      t?  ^  '  ''''^'  ''^^  ^^^""^  33.ooo, 

a  work  of  sup    ero  "Z     A         '"'"''°''  '"^^"  ^^  ^'"^"^^ 
'  ^"Pererogation.     A  mourner  may  not  enter  th^  n^t 

acegr„u„ds  and  as  ™ounn„g  fo,  a  fa.l.er  Ls  Irtjy^l' 

a  courtier  thus   bereaved   is  for  th.^  ♦•  ^^  uiree  years. 

Court.  *''^'  ^""^  withdrawn  from 

clo..,es  when  dea.,   it  very    oTi   h:,S""%r°"  '"  "'^  "==' 
buried  coffinle.  I„  a  wra^pi^Vf^^r;  .^^'^  ^^P^ - 

.a)::!r';or/';;it;,;:rs'-p'-«-p™>''w.ed  ,•„ .,. 

fai.h  disappeared  fan  K     a  ar,'.?r''"*,  "''^  ^  ""''°"" 
worsiiip  and  a  form  „(  ^si!  ""'''  "'""S''  "nceslral 

and  mi'dlifdalr..   ;an;r::;X''rH'"'  ''  "'  '°"« 
and  that  ;<:  ;„  •.  ^"^^^^^^S^'t'on  of  tiie  unseen  survives 

Pote   a  tCh  If  "°^^^"P-«''^--  and  rudimentary  form 
rrotestant  Christian  missionar  es,  preceded  in  t.,8.  1     /^  . 

.he  Roman  Catholic  Church,  en  eredKorta,,    sL '',''"?' 
lowed   by  representatives  of  s    eraT  of  till'      ''  '''"  '°^- 

^c.  ul.     One  o,.  the  best  s.tes  is  covered  with  the  buildings 


•fit 


'  f 


U    til 


H  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

belonging  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Mission,  schools  for  girls 
and  boys,  a  pruning  press,  a  Union  Church,  and  hospitals  fo 
men  and  women,  with  which  dispensaries  are  connected  it 
grrls;  sc  ool  connected  with  this  mission  is  one  o  he  mo 
admn-able  ,„  us  organization  and  results  that  I  have  se  The 
Presbyterians  occupy  a  lowlier  position,  but  have  the  same 
c  ass  o    agencies  at  work,  and  lately  the  King  handed  ove  To 

HoT/tlT       '''''  "  ""  ^•^^'  '"°^^^  -  ^'^  "  Gover:::em 
Bishop  Corfe's  mission  occupies  two  modest  sites  in  modest 
fash,on   all  us  buildings  being  strictly  Korean.     On  orside 
of  Seoul,  at  Nak-tong.  it  has  the  Community  House,  wher^  h 
b  shop,  clergy,  doctor,  and  printer  live  and  have  their  pi'vl 
chapel,  also  the  Mission  press,  and  a  very  efficient    0^7  o 
men   admirably  nursed  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Peter'    Kb  rn 
On  the  slope  of  the  British  Legation  Hill  are  the  Engl  sh 
Church  of  the  Advent,  a  beautiful  Korean  building  the  Com 
munity  House  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Peter,  and    h';  Women" 

(the  Dora  Bird  Memorial)  of  eighteen  beds,  with  a  room  for  a 
private  patient,  besides  an  old  hospital,  to  be  used  onlyfoHn! 
factious  diseases.  These  are  under  the  charge  of  a  lady  Phy- 
sician and  are  also  nursed  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Peter,  w'ho  Yn 
both  hospitals  do  admirable  work  in  a  bright  and  lov  ng  spint 
which  is  beyond  all  praise.  ^  ^ 

Ko'^!rm"'!,'^°"c  ^^  f '°'''''"'  ""^  34  Roman  missionaries  in 
Korea,  mostly  m  Seoul.     The  language  has  the  reputation  of 

facility  m  the  use  of  it.     The  idea  of  a  nation  destitute  of  a 
rehgion,  and  gladly  accepting  one  brought  by  the  for   gner 
must  be  dropped.     The  religion  the  Korean  would  ace  pt    ^ 
oi^whic    would  show  him  how  to  get  money  without  working 
ab  en ;   the  .  '"'^'^^^^'J^^^.  '^  '-'^^-^-'  the  religious  faculty  i! 

teachLs  of  T  T       ':''  ''"^  ''  ^PP^^^  ^°'  -'i  ^he  moral 
teachings  of  Confucius  have  little  influence  with  any  class 


Seoul,  the  Korean  Mecca 


6^ 


op  mon.  tha    he  does  not  want  to  be  troubled  with  one  spe- 
callya  rebg.on  of  restraint  and  sacrifice  which  has  no  wor  dll 
good  to  offer.     After  nearly  twelve  years  of  work,  the  Zb  ^ 
of  bapfzed    native   Protestant  Christians  in    rS^;  wasTrV' 
The  Roman  Catholics  claim  .8.80.,  and  that  the'Lrl  ra te 
of  increase  .s  r,oco  a  year.'    Their  priests  live  mostly   nl 
wretched  hovels  of  the  people,  amidsc  their  foul  surr     nd  nl 
and  share  the.r  unpalatable  food  and  sordid  lives.     Do  b    ?' 
m.-on  work  in  Korea  will  not  differ  greatly  from  .1  wo  k 
elsewhere  among  the  older  civilizations.     Barriers  of  i  dZ 
ence,  superst.t.on   and  inertness  exist,  and  whatever  progr    s 
s  made  wdl  probably  be  chiefly  through  medical  m'ssS 
howmg  Chnsfanity  in  action,  and  native  agency,  and^hrZ h 

eatrl  Jk"  '  ''"  ^'^^^  alluded  to,'wh4  leave  ev^' 
feature  of  Korean  custom,  dress,  and  manner  of  living  un 
touched,  whde  Christian  instruction  and  training  ar    the  fiT  t 

ttr;h":v'^ ''''''' 'r'''  --b'>-4influ:n:e';f 

me  teacher  is  felt  during  every  hour  of  the  day 
For  statistics  of  Missions  in  February.  1897.  see  Appendix. 


;li  i 


I 


M 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  SAILING   OF   THE   SAMPAN 

AT  a  point  when  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  my  pro- 
jected journey  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  insurmount- 
able, owing  to  the  impossibility  of  getting  an  interpreter,  and 
I  had  begun  to  say  "//  I  go  "  instead  of  "  when  I  go,"  Mr. 
Miller,  a  young  missionary,  offered  his  services,  on  condition 
that  he  might  take  his  servant  to  supplement  his  imperfect 
knowledge  of  Korean.     Bishop  Corfe  provided  me  with  a 
Chinese  servant,  Wong,  a  fine,  big,  cheery  fellow,  with  inex- 
haustible good-nature  and  contentment,  never  a  cloud  of  an- 
noyance on  his  face,  always  making  the  best  of  everything, 
ready  to   help   every  one,  true,  honest,  plucky,  passionately 
fond  of  flowers,  faithful,  manly,  always  well  and  hungry,  and 
with  a  passable  knowledge  of  English  !     He  was  a  Chefoo  sam- 
/rt«-man  when  Bishop  Corfe  picked  him  up,  and  nothing  could 
make  him  into  a  regular  servant,  but  he  suited  me  admirably, 
and  I  was  grieved  indeed  when  I  had  to  part  with  him. 

The  difficulty  about  money  which  then  beset  every  traveller 
in  the  interior  cost  a  good  deal  of  anxious  planning.  The 
Japanese  yen  and  its  subdivisions  were  only  current  in  Seoul 
and  the  treaty  ports,  there  were  no  bankers  or  money-changers 
anywhere,  and  the  only  coin  accepted  was  the  cash,  of  which 
at  that  time  3,200  nominally  went  to  the  dollar.  This  coin  is 
strung  in  hundreds  on  straw  strings,  and  the  counting  of  it, 
and  the  carrying  of  it,  and  the  being  without  it  are  all  a 
nuisance.  It  takes  six  men  or  one  pony  to  carry  100  yen  in 
cash,  ^10!  Travellers,  through  their  Consuls,  can  obtain 
from  the  Foreign  Office  a  letter  to  officials  throughout  the 
country  called  a  kwan-ja,  entitling  the  bearer  to  their  good 

66 


>> , 


i  n 


u 


i     1 


lu 

k  / 

•f 

l^': 

i 

. 

■=  ''1 

,'    ^'1.; 

i.y 

'iJl 

The  lainTrargi  Geo|t«jJiixMd  iistitule 


U7 


*l«i>i>«  tt  Hevdl  ConjB^. 


'CUiun^- 


SKETCH  MAP  OF 

CENTRAL    KOREA 

*>        lo      To       i^^^-iz lb 

Mrt  Bishop's  1st  Journtsy- 
2nd 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


^ 


// 


{./ 


if 


m 
^ 


ij- 


1.0 


I.I 


Uilil     12.5 


Hi 

III    !■■■ 


\%2 

3.6 


i.25  iu 


1.8 
1.6 


.^^ 


y 


150mm 


/APPLIED  J  IIVUGE  .  «ic 

JSSS.  1653  East  Main  Street 
^^^  Rochester.  NY  14609  USA 
j^^^  PhoTfe:  716/482-0300 
.S=r.^=  Fax:  716/286-5989 

e  1993,  Applied  Image.  Inc..  AH  Righli  ReMfvad 


^s 


S^ 


^S' 


<^ 


^\  ^\  ^^^ 


■^is'*> 


^ 


^t^ 


■.    i 


.it/' 


ir  «;' 


j  It 


»•  ■.';   Ill   J 

i 


I 

The  Sailing  of  the  Sampan  67 

offices,  and  especially  to  food,  transnort  nn^ 

't  usually  lianrK-ns  thit  1  .„.     .  "^""PJ"^*'  and  money.     But  as 

tl'.e  sum  has  ben  'id'  %^^"7^7*^"'.  however  accurately 
o:liouso„etooffi  a  an  itr  •  7  ^"^"^^-^^^  -  -  very' 
"ot  make  use  of  it'  mo  v  "  "'^  T'  ''"' '  "^"^ 
1  engaged  fur  the  e.  L  p "t'of ,  ,:"r'"^""^'  ^'-  "^-t  which 
^''^•/',  an.l  i  took  a  baLf  1        ^        '^  *'"'  '''''"^'^''  ^^ith 

I  look  gr„;  ,ea  curr?,^"""     ''f"l"<^'->o.k.     B«i,te, 

mirroR,  teapots,  sandwich  tin,    i        ''""'f'"*  "^W  I'""*! 
".eats,   bouilL,;  and   f,    ;     xLT;  '""*  """"'  '<""»• 

-'«!  of  a  J„p::„e.e  br     e r  Jtla  ^t,'™  ^7™;''  ^°"- 
pan  and  fryhiK-txin   a„  <  ,     ',,,,"'•» ''""o"' Japanese 

.He  w„ole  co^inT'n,:  e'/trltfr'  "'f  ^H^^  '°"«'- 
ment "  was  limited  •  a  ^m.li  I  ""^      ^^'''^  ^quip- 

all  .n  enamelle^i.  :^rtirfS"r  ^^°"^  ''^^^' 
folded  up,  a  knife   fork   apH  '   r     '  ^""^  'P°°"'  "^^ich 

reserved  for  the  '  kitche"''  r  n  °' '°'"'"°"  "^"''^  »^«'"« 
sheers  were  from  the  ceforth  .  ''  '''^''  ^^^lecloths,  and 
my  outfit,  because      Wi'^rt"?':  ^"^'--     ^  —on 

every  pound  of  superfluour.tght^dds  t^tHr^^^  ""'  '''' 
ting  transport  in  Korea  and  in  1  V  ^'^culty  of  get- 

I  was  encumbered  fl'^e  1^7°  '^r"^""-  «-'-' 
weighing  ,6  lbs.,  and  a  hand  L*"'  '''^^  ^  ^'''''''^  --"erl 
the  apparatus  beionj^^,;  o  ImTd  Tf '"^  '  ^'"  ^'''^ 
things  accordingly.  On  the  vh7  .  •  f  '°  ''^""^  °ther 
food  of  the  country  Korl!  f'  ''  ^'''  *°  ^'"^^  to  the 
gions  chickens.     The  chestnntf        ''/^^''  '"^  '"  '^"^'  '^^ 

which  can  be  got    n  aTew  ^      '      ''"^ ^'"^'^  ""' '°"^' 
got       a  few  places,  is  gritty,  and  the  rice  is  a 


1 


;n!i 


ill 


68 


Korea  and  Htr  Neighbors 


viands,  and  does  not  rnr^    i  •  .      ^^  ^""^  ««*s  native 

Korean  officiab,  a„d  lhe7el,tnn         Z"'"'   ''"'•°'^''™  « 
of  Bishop  Corfe'.  MLion  h  7        1  '"'"'■    **'■  »'""". 

mountainous,  and  that  the  mni^         ^  *  '^°"""'>'  *•''» 

It  had  also  been  Tm  ^      ""^'^  """""^"^  ^''^  ^^vere. 

knowledge  by^eveTr'r'?'  '"'  "'^'^  ^"  ^PI^"-'-  of 

heard,  supposing  it  to  tr  "'"""'^  "'"^'^  ^^  ^^^at  I 

from  manT^XstlJlnsi'n":?  -ffi-ntly  deterring,  but 

was  in  the  ascenda  a„d^  r"^  T^  '''"'"  '"^  ^"^''^  ^'^^-"^ 
ning  to  tint  the  hi  'iH-  ''''/f''°'.^"P«  ^^^'^^  «^as  just  begin- 
left' he  S  fJi  d  'tt;  Z  d!  "^  "T  ""™  ^"'  '""^^''  ^ 
Seoul  interesting  and  alreealle^T  '"""^  ^°  "^''^  "^^  ^'«'»  '^ 

tl>e  south  gate  pLs1nf^he^''''';^T*°"'^"^^^^^ 

"  8«iic,  passing  the  temp  e  of  the  God  «f  w„         j 

over  a  p.ne-clothed  ridge  of  Nam-San  to  H.„  v         r      '  ''"^ 
from  Seoul,  a  little  shinning     i.  .     ^^"«' '°"'"  ™''es 

avoidarapi'dwhi^hli    rt  fentTd^  T  '"^r'^"  '^^'  '° 
56  miles  from  Chemnlnn  T  P"'     ^P^Ma-pu, 

-  and  fan  2Si:T:^i:^z:ir, ""'  ~"''''""'"' "'" 

u  us  mat  the  boat  was  too  small  I    There 


I 
c 

r 
d 
d 


The  Sailing  of  the  Sampan  69 

were  very  few  to  be  eot  and  I  h<.^      . 

and  I  went  "on  board  "at  once  y,l,k  I    u  *"  "'=' 

"«  .0  be  n,y  home  for  an  ndefl  ^r. '  ..r      T'""'"'  "  "" 

« .l.er  widc«  part,  and  with  her  who    c  '  o^  1 '",'°  '";''" 

framework" »;:  r"^';";  n„?r.T  I  ""'«'•     ^  '"^' 
together  supported  irarmaNnf  T        ''"  P'^^ionsly  lied 

bladea  Lang^ dowZ  "dfa     ';tX  ZT"  r'l'"  ""'* 
only  I  a  inches  high      Thes.  r,.  *.    ""^''  "^'"^  "^ 

ndge  pole,  and  lefi„  TlT.riTV"'  '"enher  over  the 

A.  i..  highest  par.  t^lrr:  s  o„t'  tt  6" '"t  "^  '""'«■ 
just  possible  to  sit  under  i,       .?    *^  ■*  '°"^'"=-     "  "S 

forked  sticks  un,       7ht b    T   .""'  "°°P"*     ^X  Pm.ing 
'hey  could  be  lifted  ,t  ^or^Z""  ""'  ""«'  "«  ""«=". 

air.     Two  or  three  t  m^il  a"  on/;r"''!° '"'"''«'•'''"'> 
and  fell  about  our  heads"  *  ^""^  ""»  ™f  collapsed 

H.«":r'p^d,::^t';Ltd:rr°'"/"!'«'"'->"^- 

poled  or  .rcrked  an  oar      B  t  .h^  f   '      "°"«'  ""°"'" 
ki'chen  and  poultry  yird  a„rt        <  '""'  '™  "'«>  ""' 

al«.  were  kept  faggjrdr  If,  "^'"""'^  "'•*"■  There 
»i>h  Ihe  food  and  watVrr'  .'"^  ■"''^'^"''"«>»»  «ores, 
'oo.  Wong  and  Che"  s^  ^T "^i"',"^-  ''■""^• 
cooked,  a,e,  and  washed  cl  ,d «  '.u7 '  "'"' ."'"'  "'=>'  "" 
men  curled  themselves  u,   a ri',!,         ''"""*'"  "■"»»'■ 

There,tof.her»,«^.,div.l      ,5'  I"  VT'  "  •■"'^'•• 
My  part,  the  centre,  was  o  i^L  "'g'tTv'  ^X  >:«  thwarts. 

I'ut  encroachmeuts  by  „„  mean,  JZiL  *      '  '°  ""^'"•'• 

eoup"  for  sack.  ,;  '  ,  ,    8'" '""' "^""s"'"!"!  it  a  "free 

reduced  to  a  bte  6  fc^?„V  "l!"?'  •■"""  ""*""•  ''"  ••  « 
<"e,  and  lugga-  we^L  c t;"^"/'^-'"  ""'  ""'.  'hair,  sa,l. 


?; 


If: 


Mil- 


m 


70 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


and  he,  Wong,  and  Che-on-i  slept.     It  was  scarcely  possible 
M.ller,  though  not  an  experienced  traveller,  cheerfully  made 

ere 'itv  of  h'T'""^  ''T  "'^  ^'^"""'^'  «"^  P^<^^^^v'.d  the 
serenity  of  his  temper  under  all  c  ircumstances 

The  sam/^an's  crew  of  two  consisted  of  Kim,  her  owner,  a 

!'hirIi'Ln '!'"■?'"'  '^••'^'°^^^''-^««king  old  man.  and  his 

hired  man      who  was  never  heard  to  speak  except  on  two 

occasions,  when,  being  very  <lrunk.  he  developed  a  remarkable 

oquacty.  On  the  whole,  they  were  well  behaved  and  q.^et 
1  saw  them  in  close  proximity  every  hour  of  the  day  and  was 
never  annoyed  by  anything  they  did.  Kim  was  paid  ^30  per 
month  for  the  boat,  and  his  laziness  was  wonderful  To 
dawd  e  along,  to  start  late  and  tie  up  early,  to  crawl  when  he 
tracked,  and  to  pole  or  paddle  with  the  least  expenditure  of 
labor,  was  his  policy.  To  pole  for  an  hour,  then  tie  up  and 
ake  a  smoke,  to  spend  half  a  day  now  and  then  on  buying 

trn'-ll  °",  7  ^^"^''^"•''" '^y  feigning  exhaustion,  and 

to  adopt  every  dodge  of  the  lazy  man.  was  his  practice.  The 
l^ontract  stipulated  for  three  men.  and  he  only  took  one.  mak 
nig  some  evasive  excuse.  But  I  have  said  the  worst  I  can  say 
when  I  write  that  they  never  made  more  than  ,0  miles  inl 
day,  and  often  not  more  than  7,  and  that  when  they  came  to 
severe  rap.ds  they  always  wanted  to  go  back  • 
Mr.  VVyers  busied  himself  in  putting  a  mat  on  the  floor  and 

ber;uttTh  "  ""''  "  '''''''''  ^"^  ^'-^  -^^--  h^d 

looktrl        .  n    ^"'f'  '"'"'•'''•     ^^^'  ''""'  "■'"P'  «i'e"t  crowd 
ooked  on  till  we  left  Han  Kang  at  mi.hlay.     I.,  a  few  hou.^ 

thu,gs  shook  into  shape,  and  after  all  the  discomforts  were  Z 

great,  possibly  the  greatest  being  that  the  smoke  and  the  smell 

of  the  boatmen's  malodorous  food  blew  through  the  boat 

u„;i::u„r;ir^:r:;::;:M^r'  't  i-'^  '-''"-  ^-'"  ^^ 

t,  '"  i"c  general  reader,  and  would  iiivo  vc  a  coot!  deal  of  nn 

E  [;Kr;v'  r '"-,  ™" "- "-  -"'« '-«~  !":„; 

Wllich,  If  ,t  I,,,  ever  ten  m„le.  ha,  cen.inly  „ol  been  ,lcscril«d. 


CHAPTER  VI 

ON   THE   RIVER   OF  aOLr)EN   SAND 

TTJURING  the  five  weeks  which  I  spent  on  the  Han.  though 

freely,  almost  too  freely,  with  the  latter;  the  scenery  varied 
hour  y.  and  after  the  first  few  days  became  not  only  beautifuT 
but  m  places  magnificent,  and  full  of  surprises ;   the  spr  n« 

re:"t^d  Tnd  "^T'  T':''  '''^  ""  '"^'^  '•'-t'vividne'r^f 
green,  red  and  gold;  the  flowers  and  flowering  shrubs  were 
•n  the,r  glory  the  crops  at  their  most  attractive  stage,  bid! 
sang  ,n  the  thickets,  rich  fragrant  odors  were  wafted  off  on 

grass,  and  the  waters  of  the  Han.  nearly  at  their  lowest,  werf 
clear  as  crystal,  and  their  broken  sparkle  flashed  back  the  In 
beams  wh.ch  passed  through  a  sky  as  blue  as  that  orTibet 
There  was  a  prosperous  look  about  the  country  too.  and  ^*'s 
ecunty  was  .nd.cated  by  the  frequent  occurrence  of  Ju.    ■ 
farms,  w.th  h.gh  secluding  fences,  standing  under  the  d  ep 
shade  of  fine  walnut  and  persimmon  trees 

andt^JV"?  "''^  ^'""^'^^  "^'"^'^^  ^«^^^«"  Chemulpo 
and  Seoul,  the  slopes  along  much  of  the  route  are  woodeS? 

and  m  „any  cases  forested  both  with  conifen-e  and  deciduou 

trees,  among  wh.ch  there  are  occasionally  picturesque  clumps 

rlZt  r^  '"'  •^'''  '''  ''''  ^P^*^'^^  °^  °«k  and  three  of 
maple,  a  r/afan,^s,  jun.per.  ash,  mountain  ash.  birch,  hazel. 
Sophora  Japomca,  Euonymus  alatus.  Thuja  OHentaiis,  and 

in  all  their  beauty,  flushing  the  hillsides,  ar    white  and  suL 

71 


7^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

phuryellow  clematis,  actinidia,  and   a  creeping   Euonymia 
were  abundant.     Of  the  wealth  of  flowering  shrubs.   Zt  y 
wh.te  blossomed.  I  had  never  seen  one  before  either  in  gard 
or  greenhouse,  except  the  familiar  syringa  and  spirea      The 

and  tender  red,  concealing  tree  trunks,  depending  from 
branc  es.and  draping  every  cliff  and  rock  wit^  its  exqiit" 
foliage  and  roses,  red  and  white,  of  a  free-growing,  climb, 
-g  variety,  having  possession  even  of  tall  trees,  h '  g  ."t 
fragrant  festoons  over  the  roads. 
It  was  all  very  charming,  though  a  little  wanting  in  life. 

bri  1  ;  "'  ""'  ';  k"""^  '"'  ^r.f,on.^\..  innumerable,  and 
bnlhant  green  and  brown  snakes  in  numbers,  and  nt  nr^t  the 
Han  was  cheery  with  mallard  and  mandarin-duck,  ge  se  and 
and  r  '"I  -k"  '"  ''''  '''''  '''  •■-■--•  "--  the";  e' 

age  we're'nt         ^''  '''  '7  '''''  ^^  ^P^'"«  ^  '^  P'- 
age,  were  not  uncommon,  and  peregrines,  kestrels,  falcons 

nd  buz..rds  were  occasionally  seen.     But  the  song-birds  wer^ 

few      The  forlorn  note  of  the  night-jar  was  heard,  and  the 

loud    cheerful  call  of  the  gorgeous  ringed  pheasa  t  to  hi! 

dowdy  mate.^  but  the  trilling,  warbling,  and  cooing  which  are 

the  charm  of  an  English  copsewood  in  springtime  are  alto 

flight  of  the  warbler  being  poor  substitutes  for  that  entrancing 
concert.  Of  beast  life,  undomesticated.  there  were  no  traces! 
and  the  domestic  animals  are  few.  Sheep  do  not  thrive  on 
he  sour  natural  grasses  of  Korea,  and  if  goats  are  kept  I  never 
sa^r  any      A  small  black  pig  not  much  larger  than  a  pug  s 

of  farms  There  are  b,g  buff  dogs,  but  these  are  kept  only  to 
a  limited  extent  on  the  Han.  in  the  idea  that  they  attract  the 

and  rush  towards  a  stranger  as  if  bent  on  attack ;  but  it  ii 
mere  bravado-they  are  despicable  cowards,  and  run  away 
howling  at  the  shaking  of  a  stick  ^     • 


On  the  River  of  Golden  Sand  73 

Leopards,  antelopes,  and  several  species  of  deer  are  found 
among  the  mountain,  bordering  the  Han,  but  the  b^a^  b  Te 
eminence  there,  as  throughout  Korea,  is  the  tiger.     At  f.rs   I 
was  very  .ncredulous  regarding  his  existence  and  depre.llto, 

was  .mposs-ble  to  believe  that  peaceful  agricultLl  vrj. 
surrounded  by  hdls,  thinly  clothed  with  dwarf  oak  scrub 
could  be  ravaged  by  him.  that  dogs.  pigs,  and  cat.    ar     onl 
tm^lly  earned  off  by  him,  and  that  human  beings  visiting 

prey      B  t  the  constant  repetition  of  tiger  stories,  the  terror 
the  V  , lagers  the  refusal  of  ^a^u  and  coolies  to  travel  after 

Uen  recent       T^J'^'  '"  """'  ^'^^^^  *''«  '"^  ^^  "^^  had 
been  recent,  and  that  even  in  the  trim  settlement  of  Won-san 

a  boy  and  chdd  had  been  sei^ed  the  day  before  I  arrived  a^d 
a  believer.     Possibly  some  of  the  depredations  attributed  to 

H^r u'nl  uT  ""'"  '''^,  """  "'■"^'"  »"«  ^«"»  of  Seoul' 
High  up  the  Han,  m  a  very  lovely  lake-like  stretch   there  is  a 

vdlage  recently  deserted  because  of  the  persisten  y  w  th  w,  ieh 
.gers  had  carried  of  its  inhabitants.  tVc  Korean  tgr  Id, 
ng  from  ,ts  skin,  in  which  the  long  hair  grows  out  of  tl  fct 
coa  of  fine  fur  resembles  the  Manchurian  tiger.  I  have 
heard  of  one  wl  ,ch  meas.r  .  ,3  feet  4  inches,  but  never tw 
a  skin  more  than  1 1  feet  8   n.nes  in  length. 

The  tiger-hunters  form  what  may  be  called  a  briaa^.  «, 
corps,  and  may  be  called  on  for  milftary  service.  S tre 
conspicuous  objects  in  the  JiTur-^.^,^  with  thei    J,g  maL" 

^I'^h  rTt;""'^'"'^'  ^"^  conical-crow::^!  Cad- 
t  gers  skins  are  the  ins.gnia  of  high  office,  the  leopard  skins  in- 
d.cating  lower  rank.     The  Chinese  give  a  very  high  price  o 

fine?  o    he  n'r'     ^'-'""''""^-^  -  ^  ^^-'ness  seems  con- 
fined to  the  northern  provinces.     On  the  Han,  and  specially 


nit: 


18  I 


ill 


H 


mm 


74  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

along  its  northern  affluents,  are  found  three  if  not  four  specie, 
of  deer,  and  the  horns,  in  the  velvet,  of  the  large  dee  rcZ 
Afanchuncus),  which  fetch  from  forty  to  sixtv  HnU^ 
are  the  pri.e  most  wanted  by  the  [:::1L     "Lat^  L^^;:' 
erally  without  number  and  are  very  tami^  •     "'•'"*'  ^'"^  '"■ 

■ght  sl„ve  for  .hrce  days.     The,,  he  «  daily  I  iLS   n  \ 

"'t/,  i»ui  n.ia  to  walk  or  run  loo  //  to  do  \\     ti,^  „ 
nearly  „v„  ye.  ,  ,„„gh.  f,„e  l-heaCst'lhe  Ha.r.ir 
The        ,  "-."ir'  '■""•.    ''''"^^  ""=  ''-l«r  .ha„  chicke," 
W8n  iL  2  r"'  ?',"«  "'  "•=  '"•••""'"<'  "<"•"'-"  of  Kong! 

it  cms  neaH^aV  '""  ^'"""'"'  ''  '"'  '''"  "'  *^"-.  "'-h 
ce  did  i   .^      n^"'""  '""'  '"  ""'""  "•  tl«">ulpo.     I  as- 

while  sn,ul  „  n  f         *'"  ""'"■"  "i"'  a  IJoltom  of 

av    1  »^^^^^^^  «""'^'  "  "^l-'  ^hieny  limestone,  ,vi,h  an 

average  »„l,h  of  ,50  yards  „ll  sustained  .0  .he  head  of  navi 

npples  gady,  us  upper  waters  abounding  in  rocky  rapids. 


On  the  Hivcr  of  GoUUn  Sand  75 

many  of  them  severe  and  dangerous,  its  most  marked  features. 

o  my  th,nkn.g,  arc  its  absence  of  affluents  after  it  emerge 

rom  the  Diamond  Mountain,  and  its  singular    Iternations  of 

hallow  wuh  very  deep  water.     It  was  a  common  occurrence 

o  have   o  drag  my  boat,  drawing  only  3  inches,  through  water 

2  shallow  to  float  her   and  at  the  top  of  the  ripple'to  come 

upon  a  broad,  stdl,  lake-like.  deep,  green  exi.anse,  20  feet 

aeep,  continuing  for  a  mile  or  two. 

After  passing  the  forks  there  are  46  rapids,  many  of  them 
very  severe,  before  reaching  Yong-Chlum,  which  for  practical 
pur,x>ses  may  be  regarded  as  the  limit  of  navigable  water. 
I  hese  are  a  most  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of  navigation, 
bu  as  there  is  usually  a  deep  water  channel  in  the  midcUe 
^.ling  junks  of  ,5  tons,  taking  advantage  of  strong,  fa vorab  ^ 

the  sue  of  my  s,m/^an  must  be  usc-d,  which  are  only  poled  and 
dragged,  and  as  they  must  keep  near  the  shore,  amo^g  rocks 

m^s  a  day  Nevertheless,  the  Han,  with  all  it.  difficuhic 
a^  d  oUtructions  ,s  the  great  artery  of  communication  fo 
m  hof  Kong-won-Doand  Kyong-Kivi  Do,  and  for  the  north 
east  per  .on  of  Chung-Chong  Do;  down  it  all  the  excess  p  o- 

d.sc,  salt   and  foreign  goods  come  up  it  from  the  sea- board 
to  pass  into  the  hands  of  the/..,«^.  or  n.rchant  pedlars.; 
various  points,  and  through  them  to  reach  the  market-p  a  es 
of  the  interior.     During  the  first  ten  days  from  iC^ 

2ut  I  T  '  ^"'^V"""^  •''  ^^'^"'^  ^^"8th.  but  cummunica- 
t.on  IS  kept  up  by  47  free  ferries,  provi.led  by  Government. 

any  of  its"?'.      "  f'  '"^  '"^"  ^"^^'''"^  ^^-'  '^^  -'«  or 
any  of  its  features,  I  was  much  surprised  to  fin.l  a  very  large 

population,  not  only  along  the  river,  but  in  the  parallel  val  eys 

many  of  them  of  great  length  and  extreme  fertility,  i^'^ 


h 


f 


^; 


!ili 


p  *. 


il 


7^>  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

neighborhood.     It  was  only  necessary  to  chmb  a  ridge  or  hill 

between  Ha.i  Rang  and  Yong-Chhun,  there  are  176  villa«res 
Much  of  the  soil  is  rich  alluvium,  from  5  to  n  fe  t  deep  Td 
rnost  prohfic,  bearing  two  heavy  crops  a  year  (n^rrfceLd" ) 
with  httle  or  no  manure.  There  is  on  the  whole  an  air  of 
greater  ease  and  prosj^rity  about  the  Han  valley  than  about 
any  other  region  that  I  have  seen  in  Korea  > 

anc?'  W  'rT,  °'  '"7''"'^"'  "^'  «^""^"y  ^°bust  appear- 
ance.  Some  of  them  had  evidently  attained  great  age  'IW 
dulVb  .T:  ''"  "^'  ^°"^  -^'"^^  «'^'"  diseases!  b„,^^^ 
?rab':untd'.'"  ^'^^^  ^^^^^  "°  ^ickly-lookingp'eople;^,:. 
Except  for  a  monastery  and  temple,  both  Buddhist  nnt  f,r 
from  Seoul,  and  the  Confncian  temples  at  the  mjg t.  a  ,«' 

inere  were  two  shnnes  containing  m>Ms,  i„  both  ea««, 
water-worn  bonlders  chafed  into  some  resemblance  to  humr 
y;sp,r,t  shnnes  on  heights;  and  underage  trees  hea"  of 
«ones  sacred  to  demons;  tall  posts,  with  the  top^ndeTc" 
u  to  someth,ng  s„ggestive  of  distorted  human  LJZLZ 
black  and  blue,  with  straw  ropes  with  dependent  s'rlw^  * 
ke  those  denoting  Shinto  shrines  in  Japan,  stret  IdTcri 
the  road  to  prevent  the  ingress  of  malignant  spi,^«a„d  3 
w"h  many  streamers  of  rag,  as  well  a?  worn-Z  s'traw  sho« 
hangups  "■  the,r  branches,  as  offerings  to  these  beingi 

years  m   Korean  Covernment  service,  an.i  Mr    MoffV.ff  „        '. 

e«u  .„d  re,.,i,„„  h„g„,.o„,  ,„ ..,  „o,hi„;X:;;;f.' j^ti"'  ■"'■ 


On  the  River  of  Golden  Sand  77 

llie  peasant's  houses  do  not  differ  frnm  fh«c-    r  .u 
classes  in  Sec.I.     The  walls  are  of  m    ,       J^  !  °^  ^^'  1'°°''" 
mud,  are  wanned  by  a 7  n.b     o   TeJ  '^  '""'  ''"°' 

of  all  methods  of  heating  a,  1         !  '     !  '"°''  ^^^''^'^'cal 

women's  room  Thl  '  fr=1"»"tly  -n  small  houses  ihe 
on  .he  lor  pillols  orsliu.r"'.''"  !.'"'=  '"  ''  ""'  "•'  ">« 
hals  are  stowed  a^lv        „r  7'  "^  "'''"''  "•"''inoline  dress 

™do.  de„otT;L.,L'reZ':,^^^^^^^^ 
s-T"  -  -•»-.'»>  .ha„  .he  house,  r;,:^  i^j 

«Por.  large  <,„a„.,„es  of  Jj^^d  chatroTrorZ  .ll;:; 


/ 


ir 


-    Ji 


1 1 


'  It 


78 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


needs  of  a  capital  which  has  left  itself  without  a  stick  available 
for  fuel  in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  No  special  industries 
exist.  The  peasants  make  their  rude  wooden  ploughs  and 
spades  shod  with  iron,  and  two  villages  within  40  //  of  Seoul 
supply  them  with  their  ang-paks  and  culinary  utensils  of  the 
same  coarse  ware,  which  stands  fire  and  serves  instead  of  iron 
pots.  Such  iron  utensils  as  are  used  are  imported  from  Seoul 
along  with  salt,  and  foreign  piece  goods  for  dress  clothes,  and 
are  paid  for  with  rice,  grain,  and  tobacco. 

The  people  are  peasant  farmers  in  the  strictest  sense,  most 
of  them  holding  their  lands  from  \\xt yang-bans  at  their  pleas- 
ure.    The  proprietor  has  the  right  to  turn  them  out  after  har- 
vest, but  It  does  not  seem  to  be  very  oppressively  exercised 
He  provides  the  seed,  and  they  pay  him  half  the  yield.     Some 
men  buy  land  and  obtain  title-deeds.     In  1894  they  paid  in 
taxes  on  one  day's  ploughing,  so  much  for  barley,  beans,  rice 
and  cotton,  the  sum  varying;  but  a  new  system  of  collecting 
tax  on  the  assessed  value  of  the  land  has  come  into  operation 
which  renders  "squeezing"  on  the  part  of  the  tax  collector 
far  more  difficult.    Money  is  scarcely  current,  business  trans- 
actions  are  by  barter,  or  the  peasant  pays  with  his  labor.     His 
chief  outlay  is  on  foreign  piece  cottons  for  his  best  clothes. 
These  are  30  cash  per  measure  of  20  inches,  dearer  at  Yong- 
Wol,  the  reputed  head  of  navigation,  than  at  Seoul. 

The  population  of  the  Han  valley  is  not  poor,  if  by  poverty 
IS  to  be  understood  scarcity  of  the  necessaries  of  life.     The 
people  have  enough  for  themselves  and  for  all  and  sundry  who 
according   to  Korean  custom,  may  claim  their  hospitality' 
Probably  they  rie  all  in  debt ;  it  is  very  rare  indeed  to  find  a 
Korean  who  has  not  this  millstone  round  his  neck,  and  they 
are  destitute  of  money  or  possessions  other  than  those  they  ab- 
solutely require.     They  appear  lazy.     I  then  thought  them  so, 
but  they  live  under  a  rigime  under  which  they  have  no  security 
for  the  gains  of  labor,  and  for  a  man  to  be  reported  to  be 
"making  money,"  or  attaining  even  the  luxury  of  a  brassdin- 


i 
fi 


On  the  River  of  Golden  Sand 


79 

or  to  a  demand  for  a  oa  from  .n  f ""  '"^  '"'^  myrmidons, 
theless,  the  homesteads  of  thT  H  "'^^^.f  "^  >"'«^-^««-  Never! 
stantial  comfort.  "'"  """'i'  ^^^^^  *  look  of  sub- 

Certainly  the  meals  of  the  men  are  taken  in  f 
"ess  than  is  usual  among  laborerf  it  '^''"'"  *'^'- 

fashion  with  women  eat  "nnT  }  ''°"'''"'  ««  '^  the 
lords' leavings.  A  1  meals  for  1'  "^'  ^°''^^  "P  ^'-ir 
'ar.  dark  woo'den  tabl^a  v  ^^ir  °"r"'  -- 
son.  Rice  is  the  staple  of  diet  Z^A  ^  '  °"'  ^^^  ""^^  per- 
but  besides  this,  there  are  sedlT^  ''  "T^  '"  ^  «^^^*  b°^'' 
earthenware  vessels  Ltai^.T.  ''  '""  '^'  °^  ^''^  ^'^-^ 
'nents..  Chop-sticks  anj  3  "J^f'  °^  ^^''^^  »-ty.  condi- 
metal  are  used  for  eating  '^°°"'  °^  ^^"^  ^^  base 

Families  club  iogeth„  and  Inl  "P*"  ">  "«  P"Mi<:- 

VVenli  i.  taugh,  this  U  g  '.h  «'  ":; >  ?""^='  '-""'"S  "> 
..0.  the  object  of  ,he  ambition  Sv*'k„T  '°  °*."'^'  P"^'' 
despised,  and  is  not  used  a,  » I,-;  ?  '^  ""•  •^''■»""»  is 
class.    I  observed,  W L  Z  *""*'  "' '"'  ^''''^'^l 

lower  orders  on  ,h;  riveTwl  *„   "  8''^!  ""'"''  ■»«"  of  the 

With  the  except:  „f7rot:,7rd  ''*"""  ^"'■P'- 
not  far  from  Seoul,  priests  1  „„?  ""  «'*li*™nts 

'here  any  ChristinTropalr  p'^''"' °"  *'""'"''■•  i' 
-rlr,  .hough  RomanrSat;„';:*r"'  V  '^^"'^"'  "' 
two  points  near  the  forks     S-l'  1     "'>'  "="'''"<=<1  "' 

out  the  »hole  region  "'""'"P  P'^™"^  'lirough- 

-!«»:,  indMrrint'd^nhfr  *°,  't  ™"*'  <-  -"^ 
t:Va:e™f:mo:-£  f  ^^^^^^^^^^^ 


1:1 


i 


!' ' 
I 

!,■  A 


•r 


•fiii  (I 


8o 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


no  newspapers.  The  Tong-haks  (rebels,  or  armed  reformers) 
were  strong  in  a  region  immediately  to  the  south  of  the  great 
bend,  which  showed  some  dissatisfaction  with  things  as  they 
were,  and  a  desire  for  reform  in  some  minds. 

So  far  as  I  could  learn,  the  region  is  not  rich  in  ordinary 
minerals.  I  could  hear  nothing  of  "  the  burning  earth," 
though  iie  geological  formation  renders  its  existence  probable. 
Copper  and  iron  are  worked  not  far  from  the  north  branch  to 
a  limited  extent.  But  the  Han  is  the  "River  of  Golden 
Sand,"  and  though  the  height  of  the  gold  season  is  after  the 
summer  rains,  the  ami  sacra  fames  even  then  attracted  gangs 
of  men  to  the  river  banks,  and  gold  in  the  mountains  was  a 
subject  on  which  the  Koreans  were  always  voluble. 

The  attitude  of  the  people  was  friendly.     I  never  saw  a 
trace  of  actual  hostility,  though  on  the  higher  waters  of  the 
south  branch  it  was  very  doubtful  whether  they  had  seen  a 
European  before.     Their  curiosity  was  naturally  enormous, 
and  whenever  the  boat  tied  up  for  a  day  it  showed  itself  by 
crowds  sitting  on  the  bank  as  close  to  it  as  they  could  get,  star- 
ing apathetically.     They  were  frequently  timid,  and  snatched 
up  their  fowls  and  hid  them  when  we  came  in  sight,  but  a  lit- 
tle friendly  explanation  of  our  honesty  of  purpose,  and  above 
all,  the  sight  of  a  few  strings  of  cash,  usually  set  everything 
straight.    A  foreigner  is  absolutely  safe.     During  the  ofttimes 
tedious  process  of  hauling  up  the  rapids,  when  Mr.  Miller  and 
the  servants  were  tugging  at  the  ropes,  I  constantly  strolled  for 
two  or  three  hours  by  myself  along  the  river  bank,   and 
whether  the  path  led  through  solitary  places  or  through  vil- 
lages, I  never  met  with  anything  more  disagreeable  than  curi- 
osity shown  in  a  very  ill-bred  fashion,  and  that  was  chiefly  on 
the  part  of  women.     When  the  people  understood  that  they 
would  be  paid  it  was  not  difficult  to  procure  the  little  they  had 
to  sell  at  fairly  reasonable  rates.     They  were  disposed  to  be 
communicative,  and  showed  very  little  susj^icion,  far  less  in- 
deed than  in  parts  of  Korea  where  foreigners  are  common. 


I 


On  the  River  of  Golden  Sand  8l 

My  Chinese  servant  was  everywhere  an  object  of  most  friendly 
curiosity  and  a  centre  of  pleasurable  interest 

,  J\'ndT7  ^'"'"^  ^"■'  '"^  ^'y  ^^"g^d  ^'^^  42°  to 
72  .  and  the  barometer  showed  remarkable  steadiness.     There 

were  two  heavy  rainfalls,  but  the  weather  on  the  whole  was 
superb,  and  the  atmosphere  clear  and  dry 


<.  --•  ^  • 


KOREAN  PEASANTS  AT  DINNER 


;  Li 


f 


if  '; 


n 


'lit 


i^i!'^ 


h-    •4!f 

I,!} 


.ill!;  :   ii 


}  r  ii 


u 


It' 


p    t!!! ' 


CHAPTER  VII 

VIEWS  AFLOAT 

A  f  ^.  ^'^^^/f  "d  for  settling  in  our  very  narrow 
r\  quarters  and  by  the  end  of  the  second  day  we  had 
shaken  down  ,nto  an  orderly  routine.     By  dint  of  much  drfv 

my  flour  and  water  stirabout.     The  halts  for  smoking,  cook 
ing,  and  eating  were  many,  and  about  five  o'clock  he  used  to 
smjulate  exhaustion,  a  deception  to  which  his  l^ltmlnd 

effecttlv      Then  /If     ''"f  ""^  "'""^^  ""'''  ^^"*  '''^'"^^Ives 
to  tie  1  I.  7'"^  '^'  ^''^y  ^^^"g'«  ^l^"t  the  place 

of  1  nks''wUrm"T  ''  '"'7^  ^  ^'"^^^  ^"^  ''^^  P-^-'^y 
w  siwas  Tor  sonrJ  "°'-""'^  '"°'^'"«  ^"^  ^°^'P'  ^^ile  my 
with  Mr  M  1^  ^'  ?""''  '"^  "  P^*^^'^  "^"  ''^"om,  and 
with  Mr.  Miller's  aid  I  usually  carried  my  point.     Between 

Kim's  aziness  and  the  frequent  occurrence  of  rapids,  fo  miS 

came  to  be  considered  a  good  day's  journey!    TheTam^ 

rapids  made  any  settled  plan  of  occu'patiin  impLible  yet  on 

he  early  stages  of  the  journey,  when  there  were  long^qu.et 

tt  rooT  °.  T'  '''"'^"  *'^^™'  ''  "^^  P'-^-t  to  elevat 
the  roof  and  have  a  quiet  morning's  work  till  dinner  at  twel^ 

This,  It  must  be  confessed,  was  a  precarious  meal.     Chrdens 

for  curry  were  not  always  attainable,  and  were  often  so  smT, 

UmeV^of?  '''  '""'  ^"'  '""^  "^^^  '^^-^-^^^  -re  sorJ- 
t  mes  got  by  pouncing  on  a  boy  fisherman  were  very  minute 
and  bony  Chestnuts  often  eked  out  a  very  scanrmea^^ 
Wong  used  to  hunt  along  the  river  banks  for  Iu7  . 

carrots  aff^r  tK«  o*    i     r   ,  °^  ^"^  onions  and 

anH  »,!'     f  °'''  °^  '''^  cultivated  roots  was  exhausted 

and  he  made  paste  of  flour  and  water,  rolled  it  with  a  bamto 

82 


Views  Afloat 


»3 


dition  of  ruinous  oflficial  buildincs  and  p  fnri        A     r 

pho,„graph,„g  and  developing  negatives  under  diffiZferlu 
he  blankets  and  waterproofs  in  the  boat  being  rennS nS  ff 

Co^thLT  iftfe  s:::iirt;ro7r  r '  "V^= 

priest  soldiers,  one  of  the  four  ITT  "^"'  '^'^'^  '^^ 

Seoul  a„d  o«.;  ref'g-'i'n-tiror.::  b^  IT^Jl'^ 

n-ppHngbrightiyoverwhite:;::;;' Lg'::  Tir" 

8  rock,  and  the.r  deeply  scored,  coingated,  flushed 


^4  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

sides  which  spring  had  scarcely  tinged  with  green,  are  for- 
b'dd.ng,  and  though  tl>e  valley  was  green  with  young  whea 
j^rne  "^""^  ''''  '"'"'  monotonous  and  uninteresting  part  of  the 

After  circumventing  the  fine  fortress  summit  of  Nam  Han 
the  nver  enters  the  mountains.     From  that  time  up  to  the 
head  of  poss.ble  navigation,  the  scenery  in  its  variety,  beauty, 
and  unexpectedness  exhausts  the  vocabulary  of  admiration. 

A  short  distance  above  Han  Kang  is  the  Buddhist  temple. 

Bud^lhi^fr  f'  ''""'^'  ''  '""^  ^^^^°"'  °-  -^  ^he  two 
Buddhist  sanctuaries  on  the  long  course  of  the  Han.     On  the 

left  bank  a  low  stone  wall  encloses  a  spot  on  which  a  female 

dragon  alighted  from  heaven  in  the  days  of  the  last  dyi^^y 

offerJci     V  n'  "  '""  °'  '"^^  °^  ^-"«»'^'  .acrific'^Tl^ 
offered  and  libations  poured  out  to  -Heaven."     The  only 

other  temple  is  that  of  Pyok-chol  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Han 

above  Yo  Ju.  four  days  from  Seoul.     A  steep  wooded  pfom 

w.  hTwoT?  •? ''' "'"' '''''  ^^^-  -^-'  -3 

ba  k  tiere  f  "  "'"""  P'^°'"'  '"  ^  "°°^^^  ^^»  ^^  the 
painted  teniples  and  monastic  buildings,  and  a  fine  bell  five 
centuries  old,  surmounted  by  an  entanglement  of  dragons 
which,  with  some  medallions  on  the  sidesfare  of  very  bold  de- 
sign and  successful  workmanship,  and  the  whole  is  sa^  to  have 
been  cast  an  Chung-Chong  Do  before  the  Japanese  stole  the 

Pi  d  for  thTl? '    ""  T'T  '"  '''  ^^™P'^  ^-™-  -™ 
from  Y5  Tu     TnT    ^  '>'  ^""'^  °'  "°'"^"  ^^  ^^''^^^^ 
n'T/     •  u         °"^  °^  *^^  '"^"^^tic  courts  there  is  a  marble 
pagoda  with  some  finely  executed  bas-reliefs  on  its  side 
claiming  a  not  distant  kinship  with  those  of  the   "marble 
pagoda     ,n  Seoul.     The  establishment  consisted  of  an  Tbbo 
nineteen  monks,  and  four  novices.     The  abbot  was  the  mos; 
refined,  intellectual,  and  aristocratic  looking  man  that  I  sa^  ir, 

anywhere.    He  carried  the  weight  of  seventy  years  with  much 


Views  Afloat 


85 


grace  and  dignity,  and  made  us  cordially  welcomi.     Tv 
^e  last  we  saw  of  Buddhism  till  we  reachedth.  n       "'"". 
Mountain  six  weeks  later  ^^  Diamond 

'o  b.  «.ched,  and  were  c^TZ'JJZ^:"  Th  '"'"" 
pursue  llieir  trade  in  onen  shed«   """l""""'™-    The  potters 

The  stock-in-trade  is  a^it  inth.VK^^  *  "''  ""=  ""'"'°«  ''''• 
'evolves,  the  base^o^^hf^h  i  :„  :^  wret".  T"''  "'f 
8'ts  on  the  edge  of  the  hole      a        V  ^^  ■"*"  "'''^ 

wooden  trowel  a  curvLl\       7°*^'"  ''P"'"'"'  ^  "'^^o"'^ 

the  tools,  effide'n  f^the^  "ole"  F^ft''/" T  °1  ""^'^  '''  ^ 
from  the  river   are  bed!  .fT  I-    ^'^'>' '^ '"^her  up,  a  few // 

p-,a„d  ro^.,:r«,^iirds'rror:"^:"  "■=  «~' 

.or^^rcotre '  alo":;-;;  f "'  ^-  '--i'  »■■<".  "i."  a  very 
islands,  with  gea,  e"li    f"''     '  *'"'°""'  "'"'  8'«n 

r„;tt:~E'""^r^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Of  Ma-chai.  Therl  the  „  J'  T  f  V"""  "'  *'  "'""6= 
wards  traversed.  cLL^I  a  "t:  thlir  '=  ^""■ 
way  more  important,  arrives  fto,^  .k  .         "'"'  '"  ""' 

.he  two  there  is  a  pr^t  rwpodtdTsl  'nd  7  1'  ^"''«" 
blossom.  Beyond  is  a  fine  «m 'h  "?  ^"  '""''  "'"'  "'^'^ 
deep,  bearing^Wch  crops  orbl^dCST'.r",'  '"' 
protected  from  the  desolation.:  /f  7u  ^"^'''^'y  ""' 

Which  enguifs  every    ^  re^o  't    /p^c'-J  'T'  ""' 
ago  the  Han,  altering  its  course  hr      V .  i  ^^"  ^^"^ 

a  steep  bank  at  somf  dTst a^^:  ,7'^*  ^°^^"  ^'•°'"  '"^^  ^op  of 
feet  long  and  ,6  Z^Z^  '  ^^Ife  ^e^r  T''  ^^"^"  ' 
make  over  to  the  Buddhists  hv  fht^-  ^'^^^"""^'^'  ^^P^nse  was 
a  fixed  amount  of  the  X?cr^  ^'"^'  "''^  ^^^^^  -"-Uy 

Between  Kim's  laziness  and  Dlau<;ihn;M,       ^    .. 
Which  though  not  severe  were^fr^t^^Ii'/re  L't::; 


i  'Iff  '   H  ! 


'S  V 


86 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


which  was  a  necessity,  our  progress  was  slow,  and  it  was  not 
tUI  the  19th  of  April  that  we  reached  Yo  Ju,  the  first  town  of 
any  importance  and  the  birthplace  of  the  late  Queen      It  is 
memorable  to  me  as  being  the  first  place  where  the  crowd  was 
obstreperous  and  obnoxious,  though  not  hostile.     It  is  humili- 
at.ng  to  be  a  "show  "  and  to  get  nothing  by  it  I     I  went  out 
on  a  rock  m  the  river  in  the  hope  of  using  the  prismatic  com- 
pass in  peace,  and  was  nearly  pushed  into  the  water,  and  when 
I  went  up  into  the  gate  tower  a  stamping,  curious  crowd,  climb- 
ing  on  everything  that  afforded  a  point  of  vantage,  shook  the 
old  fabric  so  severely  that  the  delicately  balanced  needle  never 
came  to  rest      The  crowd  was  dirty,  the  streets  were  foul  and 
decayed,  and  worst  of  all  was  the  magistrate's  ^a,/,.«.  to  which 
we  had  occasion  to  go.  and  where  I  found  that  a  kwanja  was 
powerless  to  obtain  even  common  civility. 

The  yamen,  though   finely  situated   and   enclosing   in  its 
grounds  a  large  and  much  decorated  pavilion  for  Royal  use 
but  used  as  a  children's  playground,  was  in  a  state  of  wreck 
Ihe  woodwork  was  crumbling,  beams  and  rafters  were  falling 
down   lacquer  and  paint  were  scaling  off.  torn  paper  fluttered 
from  the  lattice  windows,  plaster  hung  from  the  grimy  walls, 
the  once  handsome  gate  tower  was  on  its  last  legs,  in  the  court- 
yard some  flagstones  had  subsided,  others  were  exalted,  and 
audacious  ragweed  and  shepherd's  purse  grew  in  their  crevices 
Poverty,  neglect,  and  melancholy  reigned  supreme.     Within 
the  gates  were  plenty  of  those  persons  who  suck  the  lifeblood 
of  Korea.     1  here  were  soldiers  in  Tyrolese  hats  and  coarse 
cotton  uniforms  in  which  blue  predominated,  yamen  runners 
n   abundance,  writers,  officers  of  ;>,justice,  messengers  pre- 
tending to  have  business  on  hand,  and  many  small  rooms,  in 
which  were  many  more  men  sitting  on  the  floor  smoking  long 
pipes,  with  writing  materials  beside  them. 

One  attendant,  by  no  means  polite,  took  my  kwan-ja  to  the 
magistrate,  and  very  roughly  led  the  way  to  two  small  rooms. 
>n  the  inner  one  of  which  the  official  was  seated  on  the  floor 


Views  Afloat 


87 


surrounded  by  a  few  elderly  men.  We  were  directed  to  stand 
at  the  opening  betwcui  the  two  rooms,  and  behind  us  pressed 
as  many  of  the  crowd  as  could  get  in.  I  bowed  low.  No  no- 
tice was  taken.  An  attendant  handed  the  magistrate  a  pipe, 
so  long  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  him  to  light  it 
for  himself,  and  he  smoked.  Mr.  Miller  hoped  that  he  was  in 
good  health.  No  reply,  and  the  eyes  were  never  raised.  Mr 
Miller  explained  the  object  of  the  visit,  which  was  to  get  a  lit- 
tle information  about  the  neighborhood.  There  was  only  a 
very  curt  reply,  and  as  the  great  man  turned  to  one  of  his  sub- 
ordinates and  began  to  talk  to  him,  and  rude  remarks  were  cir- 
culating,  we  took  leave  with  the  usual  Korean  phrases  of  po- 
lileness,  which  were  not  reciprocated. 

We  were  told  that  there  are  many  "high  yan.?-l>ans"  in 
Yo  Ju,  and  it  seemed  natural  that  the  magistrate  of  a  town  of 
only  700  houses  should  not  be  a  man  of  high  rank.     The  story 
goes  that  when  he  came  they  used  "  low  talk  "  to  him  and  or- 
dered him  about  as  their  inferior.    So  he  lives  chiefly  in  Seoul, 
and  the  man  who  sat  in  sordid  state  amidst  the  ruins  of  the 
spacious  and  elaborately  decorated  yamen  does  his  work  and 
divides  the  spoils,  and  the  yang-bans  are  left  to  whatever  their 
devices  may  be.     But  this  is  not  an  isolated  case.     Nearly  all 
the  river  magistrates  are  mainly  absentees,  and  spend  their  time 
salaries,  and  squeezings  in  the  capital.     I  had  similar  inter- 
views with  three  other  magistrates.     I  asked  nothing  except 
change  in  cash  for  three  yen,  and  on  each  occasion  was  told 
that  the  treasury  was  empty.     My  kwan-ja,  a  pompous  doc- 
ument from  the  Foreign  Office,  was  of  this  use  only,  it  pro- 
cured  me  a  chicken  at  a  high  price  in  a  town  where  the  people 
were  unwilling  to  sell ! 

At  Y6  Ju  I  saw  for  the  only  time  either  in  Korea  or  China 
the  interior  of  an  ancestral  temple.  It  is  a  lofty  building,  with 
a  curved  tile  roof  and  blackwood  ceiling,  approached  by  a 
roofed  gateway.  Opposite  the  entrance  is  an  ebony  stool,  on 
which  are  a  brass  bowl  and  incense  burner.    Above  this  is  a 


.ill  <{' 


Korea  and  Her  Ntlghbors 


jarge  altar  lupporting  two  candlestick,  with  candles,  and  above 
that  aga.n  an  ebony  stand  on  which  rests  a  polished  black 
njarbie  tablet  inscribed  with  the  na.e  of  the  d'Tceased      Be 

ZZt  ^  ^  •"'"'"«•  '"  '^'  '^^^'^  »he  third  soul  of 
the  deceased  .s  supposed  to  dwell.  Food  is  placed  before 
"three  t.mcs  daily  for  three  years  in  the  case  of  a  pa^In 

"worship  "         '*"""  '"'^  y^^^  «"^  ««■«'  --ifce  anj 

the'^LonlJTd  ""'^^  P'-°''P*'-°"»-J°ol^'-"g  village  of  Ch6n-yaing 

XeUed  n,  ?      "!,^''  V  '''■'"^  "  ^^^^  '"^-^ »°  Perfortn  and 

vTrdofnl        T^""'  ^"'  '^"^'"«  ^''^»  '^  was  in  the  court- 

folnr  '  A         '""""«'  **^'"  "^^  ^^'^^^  c^'^^ia^y  invited 
to  enter,  and  I  was  laid  hold  of  (literally)  by  the  serving 

women  and  dragged  through  the  women's  ouft  an  1  no  the 
women's  apartments.  I  was  surrounded  by  fully  forty  lom  n 
old  and  young,  wives,  concubines,  servants,  all  in  gala  S 
and  much  adorned.  The  principal  wife,  a  very  yTung  g 
weanng  some  Indian  jewellery,  was  very  pretty'and  hfd'^n 
ex4ua,.e  complexion,  but  one  and  all  were  destitute  of  man- 
off  m  r.^  '"^"^^''g^ted  my  clothing,  pulled  me  about,  took 
off  my  hat  and  tried  it  on,  untwisted  my  hair  and  absorbed  my 

01  laughter,  and  then,  but  not  till  thev  lid  exhausted  all  thr 
amusement  which  could  be  got  out  of  me,  they  betho 
themselves  of  entertaining  me  by  taking  me  tlLgb  T^ieir 
Z".Tu::rT'  "^°"  -^^  *°  ^"^'^  -  extent  Ts  fhey'^d 
ourt    n  c  '  '"'"^  °^  ""'  '''''     ^""^y  '^^^  ™<^  through 

iHed  b:  """"'"'  r™''  "'"^  '"^  P"'!-^  «--'  mostly 
spoiled  b/  o.  •  .  ..vered  in  whole  or  in  part  with  Brussels 
tapestry  car  al-     /  'O  ..,ri  "  o„^       i  t""'  wun  urusseJs 

/"•■    v.!  «  uirrors  in  ,    -dry  gilt  frames  glared  from 


Views  Afloat 


a.; 


ZrlTr  instead  of  .c»d,  .o  an  eleva«d  «"p.i:" 

.no,,  tapcnan.  g„v„„„„,ip,  ,„  K„4rX„  J  ^'al' 
•eemed  anxious  to  receive  us  courteously  Win- 
-nd  ^/WA/,  an  elaborate  sort  of  "  'rkranf -^  '  '""^^  '^^'' 
and  had  to  be  nartaken  of  !  '°"'^'"^^"f'  were  produced, 
expensive  fordgn  2ar  which"!  '°^V"''^^"'^''''<^  ^^^ing  an 
the.  ostentatioufdiM    'y  "f  '  7'      I  "  ^''P^^*""'^^  ^°^ 

was  dressed  in  se 'green  s  Ik    an7'  T'  "■"^-      "^ 
quality  ^  '  ^""^  '^°'"«  ^  ^^t  of  very  fine 

orderly.     I  niad^  him 7  7         ?       °'^  '"'P°'"«  ^nd  dis- 

Kcj.  l:tfo;r:  Za.X";t  "r;;  ™'^"  ■■-  - 

cicurdie  nis  having  obtained  a  eood  n]ar»>  in  o  ,«. 

™' c  ;r  r "  -r '^■""''^'  '^^'- ^"-^ '"^^^^^^^ 

of  a„'"ffiirot  Ve°i :::  rrTnr-  ""''°"*!'  "=  ■•'"■>" 

»c  nignest  rank,  and  a  near  relative  of  the 


fi 


•l:i 


90 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


late  Queen.     We  could  only  make  a  somewhat  ignominious 
exit,  having  been  truly  "  played  out  "  "»ninious 

This  rage  for  French  clocks,  German  mirrors,  foreign  cigars 
chairs  upholstered  in  velvet,  and  a  general  fordgn  tawdS 
^  spreading  rapidly  among  the  young  --swells"  who  have 
money  to  spend  vulgarizing  Korean  simplicity,  and  setting 
he  example  to  those  below  them  of  an  extravaga  t  and  p  y 
selfish  expenditure.  The  house,  with  its  many  courtyards  w^ 
new  and  handsome,  and  money  glared  from 'every 'point 

through  a  noble  stretch  of  rich  UL^I^  Zr^Z 
fairly  clean  crops,  and  bordered  by  low,  serrated,  denuded 
aiKl  much  corrugated  ranges,  faintly  tinged  with  green  O^ 
his  gently  rolling  plain  are  many  towns'and  villages  l2 
the  larger  of  which  are  Won  Ju,  Chung  Ju,  Chong-phyTg! 
and  Tan-Yang,  all  on  or  near  the  river,  by  which  they  con 
vemently  export  their  surplus  produce,  chiefly  beans,  tobacco 

Tsilertle.  ^""  ''  ''''  ^^^^°"  °^  ^°^  ^^^  ^'^  ^-^^  was 
Higher  up    the  scenery  changes.     Lofty  limestone  bluffs 
often  caverned  rise  abruptly  from  the  river,  and  wall  in  1; 
f  rtile  and  populous  valleys  which  descend  up^n  it,  givi  g  pi  ce 
h.gher  up  to  grand  basaltic  formation,  range  beLid  range 
terraces  of  columnar  basalt  occasionally  appearing.    ¥"^1 
lovely  season,   warm  days,   cold   nighls.  brilliant  sunshine 
great  white  masses  of  sunlit  clouds  on  a  sky  of  heave  ./be 
dsances  Idealized  in  a  blue  veil  which  was  not  a  mist,  lollr's 
at    heir  freshest,  every  bird  that  has  a  note  or  a  cry  voca 
butterflies  and  red  and  blue  dragon-flies  hovering  over  the 
^a^  and  water,  fish  leaping,  all  nature  awake  and    ub  la 

scarlet  azaleas,  or  synngas,  contorted  or  stately  pines,  and 


Views  Afloat 


91 


Ampelopsis  Veitchiana  rose-pink  in  its  early  leafage.     Tiiere 
was  a  note  of  gladness  in  the  air. 

Eight  days  above  Seoul,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  there 
IS  a  riunous  pagoda  built  of  large  blocks  of  hewn  stone,  stand- 
ing solitary  in  the  centre  of  a  level  plain  formed  by  a  bend  of 
the  Han.  The  people,  on  being  asked  about  it,  said,  "  When 
Korea  was  surveyed  so  long  ago  that  nol)ody  knows  when,  this 
was  the  centre  of  it."  They  call  it  the  -  Halfway  Place  " 
After  that  the  only  suggestions  of  antiquity  are  some  stone 
foundations,  and  a  few  stone  tombs  among  the  trees,  which, 
from  their  shape,  may  denote  the  sites  of  monasteries. 

Near  that  pagoda  were  a  number  of  men  very  drunk,  and 
there  were  few  days  on  which  the  habit  of  drinking  to  excess 
was  not  more  or  less  prominent.     The  junkmen  celebrated  the 
evening  s  rest  by  hard  drinking,  and  the  crowd  which  nightly 
assembled  on  the  shore  when  we  tied  up  was  usually  enlivened 
by  the  noisy  antics  of  one  or  more  intoxicated  men.     From  my 
observafon  on  the  Han  journey  and  afterwards,  I  should  say 
that  drunkenness  is  an  outstanding  feature  in  Korea.     And  it 
IS  not  disreputable.     If  a  man  drinks  rice  wine  till  he  loses  his 
reason,  no  one  regards  him  as  a  beast.     A  great  dignitary  even 
may  roll  on  the  floor  drunk  at  the  end  of  a  meal,  at  wiifch  he 
has  eaten  to  repletion,  without  losing  caste,  and  on  becoming 
sober  receives  the  congratulations  of  inferiors  on  being  rich 
enough  to  afford  such  a  luxury.     Along  with  the  tasfe  for 
French  clocks  and  German  gilding,  a  love  of  foreign  liquors 
IS  becoming  somewhat  fashionable  among  the  young  yangLns, 
and  willing  caterers  are  found  who  produce  potato  spirit  rich 
m  fusel  oil  as;' old  Cognac,"  and  a  very  effervescent  chan- 
pagne  at  a  shilling  a  bottle  I 

The  fermented  liquors  of  Korea  are  probably  not  unwhole- 
some, but  the  hking  for  them  is  an  acquired  taste  with  Euro- 
peans. They  vary  from  a  smooth  white  drink  resembling 
buttermilk  in  appearance,  and  very  mild,  to  a  water-white 
spirit  of  strong  smell  and  fiery  taste.     Between  these  comes 


:'  '<■', 


h\>   \ 


>^i3 


f!  (1 


\k 


9^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

'«l°a'f<J"S„""  "'"';  "'■«'■"''  '''"<""'='■•  =l"»  '<>  Japanese 

ropleifrtauh.""'  "T  "'"'  ""  '^"''""^  a-  a  drunken 

.tre."ora"z-e„;^!;r"=-'--°'"--"-^ 

why/h  '"he  Ha°n'  if?""  'T  ""■'  "^S""^'  '"'  '^P^-is  for 
Iw  \,r   !^  ""'"''  """"S'"  '^^y  ■""''e  our  progress 

slo»,  had  not  suggested  serious  difficulty,  far  less  risk   bmZ 

rougrre°h  Tf' ''-' ""'  '-^-  -V  c'hi":i 
.rea.tiore\:svreUz:ra:s  r;  rtr 

foam,  vaned  by  deep  pools,  presenting  formidable  "L", 
»me  seasons  insuperable,  obstacles  to  nfvigation      To  all  ap 

Ss°  of  1  :V"  '"  ""'=  ■'""^"""^  •'-  *=  cde  Led 

In*    atte^^    tl"'  ^  '""  ■""  '"^'"^  "'  ''"'^'  -^f'^  and 
jnnks    attest    their    destructive  properties.     Thev  occur  ., 

cataract  '""''    ^"    ""^'"^'^^^  ^^P'd  or 

anf  i^M ''""^''  ^fi^'^'^'omely,  was  far  too  stingy  to  pay  for 
any  help  en  route,  h.s  ropes  were  manifestly  bought  in  -  ,^^e 

servant  toiled  at  the  tow  ropes,  and  in  great  exigencies  I 


J 


Views  Afloat 


93 


gave  a  haul  myself,  we  sometimes  made  only  7  miles  a  dav 

with  might  and  mam  m  the  boat,  and  three  tugging  with  all 
the.r  strength  on  shore.  Often  the  ropes  snapped,  w^,  the 
boat  went  sp.nn.ng  and  flying  to  the  foot  of  the  rapid   some! 

escap.ng.     After  a  few  of  such  risks  I  habitually  la.ided  either 
o..  a  boatman's  back  or  wading  i„  waterprooVweU^^^^^^^^ 
wh,ch  caused  great  wonderment  in   the 'lookers  o    'S 
worst  rap.ds  were  always  in  the  most  beautiful  places  and  the 

T     r«  ^l'"'^  °'  '''''  °^  ^-^  h°"-  -long  thorl^rltl 
hrough  fields  with  bounteous  crops,  througlf  odorous  Spanth 

w  Idlentr;'  *'""^'  '^"^^^'^  ^'^^  ^'^'■^  fascinathrb  ' 
w.lderments  of  roses,  clematis,  and  honeysuckle,  and  past 
farmhouses  w  th  their  nrivaru  r.e  v.     u  ^ 

cKo^^    r  ui  .  privacy  of  bamboo  screens,  and  deeo 

shade  of  blossoming  fruit  trees,  were  very  delightful  ' 

In  ten  days  from  Seoul  we  reach  Chong-phyong  a  town  of 
some  pretensions,  where  in  connection  witVthe  ^T  is  I 
emple         ,,„  ..ith  a  high  white  chair,  facing  aCb     w Uh 
candlest.cks  upon  it,  floor,  table,  and  chair  deep  Tdust 
ough  the  building  is  used  regularly  for  offeri.„rs  a„d 
acnfices  for  the  King.     Dust  is  not  noteworthy  fn  wl  but 

groups  of  S.X  noblemen  wearing  fine  horsehair  palace  hats 
w.  h  w.ngs  each  man  holding  a  piece  of  folded  paper  in  h 
hand   and  hsten.ng  intently  as  he  bends  forward  towar     the 

Zt'  J  T''P''°"  and  technique  of  these  paintings  are 
admirable,  and  the  sunset  scenes  on  the  back  w.ll  tf  t 
-^rior  in  execution,  are  the  work  of  a  true  art.  '  '""'' 
hi.h  hf  ^  I!  '  ^T^  P'''''°"  ^^"g'"g  °v«r  the  edge  of  a 

ha,  been  very  handsome;  bu,  the  phrase  -has  bTen"  de 


i . 


*' 


Mi 
f 


1        ii 


ill 


m 


94 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


scribes  most  things  Korean,  and  official  squalor  and  neglect 
could  scarcely  go  farther. 

At  Chong-phyong  and  elsewhere  the  common  people,  in 
spite  of  their  overpowering  curiosity,   were  not  rude,  and 
usually  retired  to  a  respectful  distance  to  watch  us  eat;  but 
from  the  class  of  scholars  who  hang  on  round  all  yamens  we 
met  with  a  good  deal  of  underbred  impertinence,  some  of  the 
men  going  so  far  as  to  raise  the  curtain  of  my  compartment 
and   introduce  their  heads  and  shoulders  beneath  it,  brow- 
beating the  boatmen  when  they  politely  asked  them  to  desist. 
On  the  other  hand,  men  of  the  non-cultured  class  showed  us 
various  small  attentions,  sometimes  helping  with  a  haul  at  the 
ropes  at  a  rapid,  only  asking  in  return  that  their  wives  might 
see  me,  a  request  with  which  I  always  gladly  complied.     At 
Chong-phyong,  so  great  was  female  curiosity  that  a  number  of 
women  waded  waist  deep  after  the  boat  to  peer  under  the  mats 
of  the  roof,  and  one  of  them,  scrambling  out  to  a  rock  for  a 
final  stare,  overbalanced  herself  and  fell  into  deep  water.     At 
one  point,  in  the  very  early  morning,  some  women  presented 
themselves  at  the  boat,  having  walked  several  //  with  a  present 
of  eggs,  the  payment  for  which  was  *o  be  a  sight  of  me  and 
my  poor  equipments,  they  having  heard  that  there  was  a  boat 
with  a  foreign  woman  on  board.     The  old  cambric  curtains 
brought  from  Persia,  with  a  red  pattern  on  a  white  ground, 
always  attracted  them  greatly,  and  the  small  Japanese  cooking 
utensils. 

In  thirteen  days  from  Seoul  we  reached  Tan -Yang,  a  magis- 
tracy prettily  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Han,  with  a 
picturesque  Confucian  temple  on  the  hill  above ;  and  a  day 
later  entered  upon  mountainous  country  of  extreme  beauty. 
The  paucity  of  tributaries  is  very  marked.  Up  to  that  point, 
except  the  north  branch,  there  are  but  two— one  which  joins 
the  Han  at  the  village  of  Hu-nan  Chang,  on  the  right  bank, 
and  is  navigable  for  60  //,  as  far  as  the  important  town  of 
Wan  Ju;  and  another,  which  enters  2  //  above  the  pictur- 


Views  Afloat 


95 


esquely-situated  village  of  So-il,  on  the  left  bank.  Above 
Tan-Yang  the  river  forms  long  and  violent  rapids,  alternating 
with  broad  stretches  of  blue,  quiet  water  from  lo  to  20  feet 
deep,  roirng  majestically,  making  sharp  and  extraordinary 
bends  among  lofty  limestone  precipices.  Villages  on  natural 
terraces  occur  constantly,  the  lower  terrace  planted  with  mul- 
berry or  weeping  willows.  Hemp  is  cultivated  in  great  quan- 
tities, and  is  used  for  sackcloth  for  mourners'  wear,  bags,  and 
rope.  In  my  walks  along  the  river  I  had  several  opportunities 
of  seeing  the  curious  method  of  separating  the  fibre,  rude  and 
primitive,  but  effectual.  At  the  bottom  of  a  stone  paved  pit 
large  stones  are  placed,  which  are  heated  from  a  rough  oven 
at  the  side.  The  hemp  is  pressed  down  in  bundles  upon  these, 
and  stakes  are  driven  in  among  them.  Piles  of  coarse  Korean 
grass  are  placed  over  the  hemp,  and  earth  over  all,  well  beaten 
down.  The  stakes  are  then  pulled  up  and  water  is  poured  into 
the  holes  left  by  them.  This,  falling  on  the  heated  stones,  pro- 
duces a  dense  steam,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  the  hemp  fibre 
is  so  completely  disintegrated  as  to  be  easily  separated. 

A  grand  gorge,  3  miles  long,  with  lofty  cliffs  of  much-cav- 
erned  limestone,  varied  by  rock  needles  draped  with  Ampelopsis 
and  clematis,  and  giving  foothold  to  azaleas,  spirea,  syringa, 
pear,  hawthorn,  climbing  roses,  wistaria,  cyclamen,  lycopo- 
dium,  yellow  vetches,  many  Labiata,  and  much  else,  contains 
but  one  village,  piled  step  above  step  in  a  deep  wooded  fold  of 
the  hills,  on  which  millet  culture  is  carried  to  a  great  height, 
on  slopes  too  steep  to  be  ploughed  by  oxen.  This  gorge  opens 
out  on  slopes  of  rich  soil,  some  of  which  is  still  uncultivated. 
The  hamlets  are  small,  and  grow  much  hemp,  and  each  has  its 
hemp  pit.  I'hey  also  grow  Urtica  Nivea,  from  the  bleached 
fibre  of  which  their  grass  cloth  summer  clothes  are  made.  All 
these  are  surrounded  with  mulberry  groves. 

The  large  village  of  Cham-su-ki,  at  the  head  of  two  severe 
rapids,  in  ascending  which  our  ropes  snapped  three  times,  offers 
a  good  example  of  the  popular  belief  in  spirits.    It  is  approached 


4  ..1 


^^ 


96 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


fr 


under  a  tasselled  straw  rope,  one  end  of  which  is  wound  round 
a  fine  tree  with  a  stone  altar  below  it.    On  another  rope  were 
suspended  a  few  small  bags  containing  offerings  of  food      If  a 
person  dies  of  the  pestilence  o  by  the  roadside,  or  a  woman  dies 
V.  childbirth,  the  spirit  invariably  takes  up  its  abode  in  a  tree 
To  such  spirits  offerings  are  made  on  the  stone  altar  of  cake 
wine,  and  pork,  but  where  the  tree  is  the  domicile  of  the  spirit 
of  a  man  who  has  been  killed  by  a  tiger,  dog's  flesh  is  offered 
instead  of  pork.     The  Cham-su-ki  tree  is  a  fine  well-grown 
elm.    Gnarled  trees,  of  which  we  saw  several  on  hilltops  and 
sides,  are  occupied  by  the  spirits  of  persons  who  have  died  be- 
fore reaching  a  cycle,  i.e.  sixty  years  of  age.    A  steep  cliff 
above  Cham-su-ki  is  also  denoted  as  the  abode  of  djemons  by 
a  straw  rope  and  a  stone  altar. 

We  had  some  very  cold  and  windy  days  near  the  end  of  April, 
the  mercury  falling  to  34°,  and  one  night  of  tempestuous  rain 
It  would  be  absurd  to  write  of  sufferings,  but  at  that  tempera- 
ture in  an  open  boat,  with  the  roof  lifting  and  flapping  and 
threatening  to  take  its  departure,  it  was  impossible  to  sleep. 
Afterwards  the  weather  was  again  splendid. 

Abrupt  turns,  long  rapids  full  of  jagged  rocks,  long  stretches 
of  deep,  still  water,  abounding  in  fish,  narrow  gorges  walled 
in  by  terraces  of  basalt,  lateral  ravines  disclosing  fine  snow- 
streaked  peaks,  succeeded  each  other,  the  shores  becoming  less 
and  less  peopled,  while  the  parallel  valleys  abounded  in  fairly 
well-to-do  villages.    Just  below  a  long  and  dangerous  rapid  we 
stopped  to  dine,  and  though  the  place  seemed  quite  solitary,  a 
crowd  soon  gathered,  and  sat  on  the  adjacent  stones  talking 
noisily,  trying  to  get  into  the  boat,  lifting  the  mats,  discussing 
whether  it  were  polite  to  watch  people  at  dinner,  some  taking 
one  side  and  some  another,  those  who  were  half  tipsy  taking 
the  affirmative.    Some  said  that  they  had  got  news  from  sev- 
eral miles  below  that  this  great  sight  was  coming  up  the  river, 
and  it  was  a  shame  to  deprive  them  of  it  by  keeping  the  cur- 
tains down.    After  a  good  deal  of  obstreperousness,  mainly  the 


Views  Afloat 


97 


result  of  wine,  a  man  overbalanced  himself  and  fell  into  the 
river,  which  raised  a  laugh,  and  then  they  followed  us  good- 
naturedly  up  the  rapid,  one  man  helping  to  track,  and  asking 
as  his  reward  that  his  wife  might  see  me,  on  which  I  exhibited 
myself  on  the  bow  of  the  boat. 

At  the  village  of  Pang-wha  San,  built,  contrary  to  Korean 
practice,  on  a  height  of  800  feet,  there  is  a  stone  platform,  on 
which  was  nightly  lighted  one  of  that  chain  of  beacon-fires  ter- 
minating at  Nam-San  in  Seoul,  which  assured  the  King  that 
his  kingdom  was  at  peace.»    Another  village,  Ha-chin,  was  im- 
pressive from  the  frightful  ugliness  of  its  women.     After  leav- 
ing Tan- Yang  the  curiosity  increased.    People  walked  great  dis- 
tances to  see  us,  saying  they  had  never  seen  foreigners,  and 
bringing  eggs  to  pay  for  the  sight,  which  I  paid  for,  telling  the 
people  that  we  had  nothing  to  show ;  but  extravagant  rumors 
01  what  was  to  be  seen  in  the  boat  had  preceded  us,  and  as  the 
people  assembled  at  daylight  and  generally  waited  patiently  I 
always  yielded  to  their  wishes,  raised  the  thatch,  and  made  the 
most  of  the  red  and  white  curtains.     In  one  place  I  gave  them 
some  tea  to  drink.     They  had  never  seen  it,  and  thought  it 
was  medicine,  and  on  tasting  it  said,  «•  It  must  be  very  good 
for  indigestion ! " 

•The  telegraph  has  now  superseded  this  picturesque  arrangement. 


J I 


li^i 


CHAPTER  VIII 

NATURAL   BEAUTY — THE  RAPIDS 

IN  superb  weather,  and  in  the  full  glory  of  spring,  we  con- 
tinued the  exploration  of  the  Han  above  Tan-Yang,  en- 
countering innumerable  rapids,  some  of  them  very  severe  and 
horrible  to  look  upon.     The  river  valley,  continually  narrow- 
ing into  gorges,  rarely  admits  of  hamlets,  and  the  population 
IS  relegated  to  lateral  and  parallel  valleys.     On  the  30th  of 
April  we  tugged  and  poled  the  boat  up  seven  long  and  severe 
rapids,  with  deep  still  stretches  of  water  between  them.     The 
flora  increased  in  variety,  and  the  shapes  of  the  mountains  be- 
came very  definite.     Among  other  trees  there  were  a  large 
branching  Acanthopanax  ricinifolia,  two  species  of  euonymus, 
mistletoe  on  the  walnut  and  mulberry,  the  Rhus  semi-alata 
and  Rhus  vernicifera,  pines,  firs,  the  Abies  microsperma,  the 
Actinidia  pueraria,  Elaagnus,   Spanish  chestnuts    in  great 
groves,  alders,  birches,  maples,  elms,  limes,  and  a  tree  infre- 
quently seen  which  I  believe  to  be  a  Zelkawa.     Among  the 
flowers,  there  were  marigolds,  buttercups,  scentless  white  and 
purple  violets,  yellow  violas,  white  aconite,  lady's  slipper,  hawk- 
weed,  camomile,  red  and  white  dandelions,  guelder  roses,  wyge- 
lias,  mountain  peonies,  martagon  and  tiger  lilies,  gentians,  pink 
spirea,  yellow  day  lilies,  white  honeysuckle,  the  Iris  Rossii, 
and  many  others. 

The  day  after  leaving  Tan-Yang  we  entered  on  the  most 
beautiful  part  of  the  river.  Great  limestone  cliffs  swing  open 
at  times  to  reveal  glorious  glimpses,  through  fantastic  gorges, 
of  peaks  and  ranges,  partly  forest-covered,  fading  in  the  far 
distance  into  the  delicious  blue  veil  of  dreamland  j  the  river, 

88 


1 


/ 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  99 

occasionally  compressed  by  its  colossal  walls,  vents  its  fury  in 
flurry  and  foam,  or  expands  into  broad  reaches  20  and  even  30 
feet  in  depth,  where  pure  emerald  water  laps  gently  upon  crags 
festooned  with  roses  and  honeysuckle,  or  in  fairy  bays  on  peb- 
bly beaches  and  white  sand.  Tiie  air  was  full  of  gladness. 
The  loud  call  of  the  fearless  ringed  pheasant  was  heard  every- 
where, bees  hummed  and  butterflies  and  dragon-flies  flashed 
through  the  fragrant  air.  What  mattered  it  that  our  ropes 
broke  three  times,  that  we  stuck  on  a  rock  in  a  rapid  and  hung 
there  for  an  hour  in  a  deafening  din  and  a  lather  of  foam,  and 
that  we  "  beat  the  record  "  in  only  making  5  miles  in  twelve 
hours ! 

The  limestone  cliff's  are  much  caverned,  and  near  the  village 
of  To-tam,  where  they  fall  back  considerably  from  the  river, 
we  explored  one  cave  worthy  of  notice,  with  a  fine  entrance 
arch  43  feet  in  height,  admitting  into  a  vault  considerably 
higher,  with  a  roof  of  stalagmites.  We  ascended  this  cavern 
for  315  feet,  and  then  had  to  return  for  lack  of  light.  Near 
the  mouth  a  natural  shaft  and  rock-ladder  give  access  to  a  fine 
upper  gallery  12  feet  high,  only  60  feet  of  which  we  were  able 
to  investigate.  Just  above  To-tam  there  is  another  limestone 
freak  on  the  river  bank,  a  natural  bridge  or  arch,  127  feet  in 
height  and  30  feet  wide,  below  which  a  fair  green  lawn  slopes 
up  to  a  height  above.  The  bridge  is  admirably  buttressed 
and  draped  with  roses,  honeysuckle,  and  clematis,  and  various 
fantastic  specimens  of  coniferae  grow  out  of  its  rifts. 

The  beauty  of  the  Han  culminates  at  To-tam  in  the  finest 
river  view  I  had  then  ever  seen,  a  broad  stretch,  with  a  deep  bay 
and  lofty  limestone  cliff's,  between  which,  on  a  green  slope 
the  picturesque,  deep-eaved,  brown-roofed  houses  of  the  village 
are  built.  The  gray  cliff'  is  crowned  with  a  goodly  group  of 
umbrella  pines,  in  Korea  called  "Parasol  Pines,"  because 
they  resemble  in  shape  those  carried  before  the  King  Guard- 
ing the  entrance  of  the  bay  are  three  picturesque  jagged  pyram- 
idal rocks   much  covered  with  the  Ampdopsis   Veitchiana, 


\ 


s\a 


'H  'I 


■\\  It 


/ 


100 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


and  of  course  sacred  to  daemon  worship.  These  sentinels  are 
from  40  to  83  feet  high.  To  the  southwest  the  Han,  dark  and 
deep,  rolls  out  of  sight  round  a  pine-clad  bluff,  among  the 
magnificent  ranges  of  the  Sol-rak-San  mountains-masses  of 
partially  pine-clothed  peaks  and  pinnacles  of  naked  rock.  To 
the  northeast  the  river  makes  an  abrupt  bend  below  superb 
limestone  cliffs,  and  disappears  at  the  foot  of  Solmi-San,  a 
triplet  of  lofty  peaks.  To-tam  on  its  park-like  slopes  embraces 
this  view,  and  were  it  not  for  the  rapids  and  their  delays  and 
risks,  might  be  a  delightful  summer  resort  from  Seoul. 

Therft  is  fertility  as  well  as  grandeur,  for  the  ridge  behind 
the  village,  abrupt  on  the  riverside,  falls  gently  down  on  the 
other  to  a  broad,  well-watered  level  valley,  cultivated  for  rice 
with  extreme  neatness  and  care,  and  which,  after  gladdening 
the  eye  with  its  productiveness  for  several  miles,  windi.  (.it  of 
view  among  the  mountains. 

There,  and  in  most  parts  of  the  Han  valley,  I  was  much 
surprised  with  the  neatness  of  the  cultivation.     It  was  not 
what  the  reports  of  other  travellers  had  led  me  to  expect,  and 
It  gives  me  the  impression  that  the  river  passes  through  one  of 
the  most  productive  and  prosperous  portions  of  Korea.     The 
crops  of  wheat  and  barley  were  usually  superb,  and  remarkably 
free  from  weeds_in  fact,  the  cleanliness  would  do  credit  to 
''high  farming"  in  the  Lothians.     It  was  no  uncommon 
thing  to  find  from  12  to  18  stalks  as  the  product  of  one  grain 
At  the  end  of  April  the  barley  was  in  ear,  and  beginning  to 
change  color,  and  the  wheat  was  6  inches  high.     As  a  general 
rule  the  stones  were  carefully  picked  off  the  land  and  were 
used  for  retaining  walls  for  the  rice  terraces,  or  piled  in  heaps. 
Steep  hillsides  were  being  cleared  of  scrub  and  stones  for  cot- 
ton planting,  and  in  many  instances  the  cultivation  is  carried 
to  a  height  of  1,000  feet,  the  cultivators  always,  however,  liv- 
ing in  the  holes.     All  the  parallel  valleys  are  neatly  and  care- 
fully cultivated.     The  favorable  climate,  with  its  abundant, 
but  not  superabundant,  rainfall,  renders  irrigation  needless, 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids 


loi 

except  in  the  case  of  rice.  Every  valley  has  its  streamlet,  and 
«  barred  across  by  dykes  of  mud  from  its  head  do^vn  to  the 
Han  r.ce  with  tobacco,  beans,  hemp,  and  cotton,  being  the 
great  articles  of  export.     On  the  whole,  I  was  ver;  agrefably 

TtTa:  itTs''  ^W^r"^'"-  ^f  ^'-  Han  valley,'and  douJi 
not  that  t  ,s  capable  of  enormous  development  if  the  earnings 
of  industry  were  secure.  The  soil  is  most  prolific,  heavy 
crops  being  raised  without  the  aid  of  fertilizers 

After  leaving  beautiful  To-tam,  the  rapids  become  more  and 
more  frequent  and  exasperating,  and  when  Kim  sank  down 

tlZV^Z""'  'r''"^'  ^'  well-simulated  exhaustion,  i 
feared  It  would  soon  become  real.  The  ropes  broke  frequen  ty, 
and  he  constant  scraping  and  bumping  over  rocks  increased 
the  leakuHss  of  the  boat  so  much,  that  in  a  lovely  reach 
where  crystal  water  rippled  on  the  white  sand,  I  pitched  my 
tent,  and  unloaded  and  beached  the  craft  for  repairs.     In  o^e 

stiZd"'  :f'  ''''  '''  '''  ^°P^  Parted,'and  the  b 
swirled  down  the  surges,  striking  rocks  as  she  spun  down  wifh 

i:l  LTtddlr'  '  """^'^^  ''  P^otographic^egatives  and 

At  the  beautifully  situated  village  of  Pa-ka  Mi,  a  post  bore 

the  following  inscription  in  large  characters-.'  If  any  servant 

well,  all  right,  but  ,f  he  behaves  badly  he  will  be  beaten  "  an 
assertion  of  independence  as  refreshing  as  it  is  rare  - 

For  among  the  curses  of  Korea  is  the  existence  of  this  priv- 
leged  class  of  ^^.^-W  or  nobles,  who  m„st  not  work  for 

t  e'rXi  '"''i'7'  ''  ''  -d'Vace  to  be  supported  by 
the  r  relations,  and  who  often  live  on  the  clandestine  industry 
of  their  wives  in  sewing  and  laundry  work.     A  yJZTclr 

Class  oom.     Custom  insist  that  when  a  member  of  this  class 

Zt      H     "  '^'^  "''  ''""  ''  '"^"^  attendants  as  let 
muster.     He  is  supported  on  his  led  horse,  and  supreme  help- 


V. 


■I!  ' 


r«f 


102  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

lessness  is  the  conventional  requirement.  His  servants  brow- 
beat  and  bully  the  people  and  take  their  fowls  and  eggs  with- 
out payment,  which  explains  the  meaning  of  the  notice  at 
Pa-ka  Mi.' 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  people,  /.  e.  the  vast  mass  of  the 
unprivileged,  on  whose  shoulders  rests  the  burden  of  taxation, 
are  hard  pressed  by  the  yang-bans,  who  not  only  use  their 
labor  without  paying  for  it,  but  make  merciless  exactions  under 
tlie  name  of  loans.     As  soon  as  it  is  rumored  or  known  that  a 
merchant  or  peasant  has  laid  up  a  certain  amount  of  cash,  a 
yang-ban  or  official  seeks  a  loan.     Practically  it  is  a  levy,  for 
'f  It  IS  refused  the  man  is  either  thrown  into  prison  on  a  false 
charge  and  whipped  every  morning  until  he  or  his  relations 
pay  the  sum  demanded,  or  he  is  seized  and  practically  im- 
prisoned on  low  diet  in  Xht  ycxng-ban^ s  house  until  the  money 
IS  forthcoming.     It  is  the  best  of  the  nobles  who  disguise  their 
exactions  under  the  name  of  loans,  but  the  lender  never  sees 
p^ncipal  or  interest.     It  is  a  very  common  thing  for  a  noble 
when  he  buys  a  house  or  field,  to  dispense  with  paying  for  it,' 
and  no  mandarin   will  enforce  payment.     At  Paik-kui  Mi' 
where  I  paid  off  my  boatmen,  the  yattg-ban's  servants  were 
impressing  all  the  boats  for  the  purpose  of  taking  roofing  tiles 
to  Seoul  without  payment.     Kim  begged  me  to  give  him  some 
trifle  to  take  down  the  river,  with  a  ^t^y  cash  as  payment,  and 
a  line  to  say  that  the  boat  was  in  my  employment,  service  with 
a  foreigner  being  a  protection  from  such  an  exaction. 

There  were  two  days  more  of  most  severe  toil,  in  which  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  make  any  progress.  The  rapids  were 
frightful,  and  when  we  reached  a  very  bad  one  below  the  town 
of  Yong-chhun,  Kim,  after  making  several  abortive  efforts 
not  I  think,  in  good  faith,  to  ascend  it,  collapsed,  and  said  he 
could  not  get  up  any  higher.  At  another  season  boats  of  light 
draught  can  ascend  to  Yang-w6l,  20  //  farther.     We  had  per- 

« Class  privileges  are  now  abolished,  on  paper  at  least,  but  their  tradi- 
tion  carries  weight. 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  103 

formed  a  great  feat  in  getting  up  to  Y6ng-chhun  in  early  May. 
There  were  no  boats  on  tlie  higher  waters,  and  for  much  of 
the  distance  my  sampan  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  afloat  At 
Yong-chhun  we  were  within  40  miles  of  the  Sea  of  Japan 

Wind  and  heavy  rain  which  raised  the  river  forbade  all  lo- 
comotion until  the  following  evening,  when  we  crossed  the 
Han  and  reached  the  Yong-chhun  ferry  l>y  a  pretty  road 
through  a  village  and  a  wood,  most  attractive  country,  with 
many  novelties  in  its  flora.  At  the  ferry  a  still  expanse  of  the 
Han  IS  over  10  feet  deep,  but  the  roar  of  another  rapid  is 
heard  immcdintoly  above.  A  double  avenue  of  noble  elms 
with  fine  turf  underneath  them  leads  to  the  town,  a  magistracy 
of  1,500  people,  a  quiet  market-place  without  shops,  situated 
in  a  rich  farming  basin  of  alluvial  soil,  covered  in  May  with 
heavy  crops  of  barley  and  wheat,  among  which  were  fields 
niUocked  for  melons. 

The  magistracy  buildings  are  large  and  rambling,  with  what 
has  been  a  fine  entrance  gate,  with  a  drum  and  other  instru- 
rnents  of  aural  torture  for  making  the  deafening  din  with  which 
the  yamen  is  closed  and  opened  at  sunrise  and  sunset.  There 
a^  many  stone  tablets  (not  spontaneously  erected)  to  worthy 
officials,  a  large  enclosure  in  which  sacrifices  are  offered  to 
'  Heaven  '•  (probably  to  the  Spirits  of  the  Land),  a  Confucian 
temple,  and  a  king's  pavilion,  all  very  squalid  and  ruinous 

A  crowd  not  altogether  polite  followed  us  to  the  yamen,  where 
1  hoped  that  some  information  regarding  an  overland  route 
to  the  Diamond  Mountain  might  be  obtained.  On  enter- 
ing the  yamen  precincts  the  underling  officials  were  most 
insolent,  and  it  was  only  after  enduring  their  unpleasant  be- 
havior for  some  time  that  we  were  conducted  to  a  squalid  inner 
room,  where  a  deputy-mandarin  sat  on  the  floor  with  a  smok- 
ing apparatus  beside  him,  a  man  with  a  scornful  and  sinister 
physiognomy,  who  took  not  the  slightest  notice  of  us.  and 
when  he  deigned  to  speak  gave  curt  replies  through  an  under- 
ling, while  we  stood  outside  the  entrance,  withstanding  with 


I 


\ 


I  n 


!^ 


n 


fl,)i1 


;■!{: 


i 


I    I! 
if 


•a 


ill 


M\ 


I 


M 


104 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


difficulty  the  pressure  of  the  crowd,  which  had  surged  in  after 
us,  private  interviews  being  rare  in  the  East.  This  was  my 
last  visit  to  a  Korean  yamen. 

As  we  walked  back  to  the  town,  the  crowd  followed  us 
closely,   led  by  some   "swells"  of  the  literary  class.     One 
young  man  came  up  behind  me  and  kicked  me  on  the  ankle, 
stepping  back  and  then  coming  forward  and  repeating  the  of- 
fense.    He  was  about  to  give  me  a  third  kick,  when  Mr. 
Miller  turned  round  and  very  quietly,  without  anger,  dealt  him  a 
scientific  blow  on  the  chest,  which  sent  him  off  the  road  upon 
his  back  into  a  barley  field.    There  was  a  roar  of  laughter 
from  the  crowd,  and  the  young  bully's  companions  begged 
Mr.  Miller  not  to  punish  him  any  more.     The  crowd  dispersed, 
the  bullies,  cowards  like  all  their  species,  fell  far  behind,  and 
we  had  a  pleasant  walk  back  to  the  ferry,  where,  although  we 
had  to  wait  a  long  time  in  the  ferry  boat,  there  was  no  as- 
semblage, and  the  ferryman  and  passengers  were  very  civil. 
Mr.  Miller  regretted  the  necessity  for  inflicting  punishment. 
It  was  Lynch  law  no  doubt,  but  it  was  summary  justice,  and 
the  perfect  coolness  with  which  it  was  administered  would  no 
doubt  leave  a  salutary  impression.     The  ferryman  told  us  that 
a  tiger  had  carried  off  a  pig  from  Yong-chhun  the  previous 
night,  and  said  that  the  walk  to  our  boat  through  the  wood 
without  lanterns  was  very  unsafe.     Oui  boatmen  had  become 
alarmed  and  were  hunting  for  us  with  torches.     The  circum- 
stances were  eerie,  and  I  was  glad  to  see  the  lights. 

Ferries  are  free.  The  Government  provides  the  broad, 
strong  boats  which  are  used  for  ferrying  cattle  as  well  as 
people,  and  the  villages  provide  the  ferrymen  with  food. 
Passengers  who  are  not  poor  usually  give  a  small  douceur. 

A  gale  of  wind  with  torrents  of  rain  set  in  that  night,  and 
the  rain  continued  till  the  next  afternoon,  giving  me  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  more  of  the  detail  of  the  magnificent  cliffs  of 
laminated  limestone,  which  occur  frequently,  and  are  the  most 
striking  geological   features  of  the  Han  valley,  continually 


I 


< 


1 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  105 

presenting  the  appearance  of  the  leaves  of  a  colossal  book. 
Above  the  Yong-chhun  rapid,  on  a  steep  and  almost  inacces- 
sible dechvuy.  buttressed  by  these  cliffs,  are  the  remains  of  a 
very  ancient  fortress,  the  outer  wall  of  which,  enclosing  the 
summit  of  the  hill,  is  2,500  feet  in  circumference,  25  feet  high 
on  the  outs.de,  from  i  to  12  feet  on  the  inside,  and  from  9  to 
12  feet  thick.     It  is  so  arranged  that  its  two  gates,  which  open 
on  nearly  direct  descents  of  20  feet,  and  are  approached  by 
very  narrow  pathways,  could  only  admit  one  man  at  a  time. 
It  was  obviously  incapable  of  reduction  by  any  force  but 
starvation.     No  mortar  is  used  in  the  walls,  which  are  very 
efficiently  bu.it  of  small  slabs  of  stone  never  more  than  6 

,nn  h  TZ  Ju"  P'°P''  ^'''  "°  *^^^'''°"«  °f  i*«  construc- 
tion, but  Mr.  Miller,  who  is  familiar  with  the  fortresses  of  Nam- 
San  and  Puk  Han,  thinks  that  it  is  of  a  much  earlier  date  than 
either.  One  of  the  signal  fire  stations  is  visible  from  this  point 
on  the  river.  *  ^ 

On  the  3rd  of  May  we  began  the  descent  of  the  Han. 
The  worn-out  ropes  were  used  for  the  cooking  fire,  the  poles 
were  stowed  away,  and  paddles  took  their  place.     The  heavy 
rains  had  raised  the  river  a  foot,  and  changed  its  bright  waterj 
into  a  turbid  flood,  down  which  we  often  descended  in  two 
minutes  distances  which  had  taken  two  laborious  hours  on  the 
upward  journey,  flying  down  the  centre  of  the  stream  instead 
of  crawling  up  the  sides.     Many  small  disasters  occurred. 
Several  times  the  boat  was  nearly  swamped  by  heavy  surges, 
or  shivered  by  striking  sunken  rocks ;  or,  losing  steerage  way 
spun  round  and  round,  progressing  downwards  with  many  Jy- 
rations,  usually  stern  foremost,  amidst  billows  and  foam,  but 
Kim,  who  was  at  his  best  on  such  occasions,  usually  contrived 
to  bring  her  to  shore,  bow  on,  at  the  foot  of  the  rapid.     On 
one  occasion,  however,  in  a  long  rapid,  in  which  the  surges 

""u'^  ?  /       '^'■''"^'  ^y  '"'"^  mismanagement,  regarding 
which  the  boatmen  quarrelled  for  an  hour  afterwards,  the  sam 
pan  shipped  such  heavy  seas  from  both  sides  as  nearly  to 


I 


io6 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


swamp  her.  I  was  all  but  washed  off  my  camp-bed,  which 
was  on  a  level  with  the  gunwale;  a  number  of  sheets  of  geo- 
graphical notes  were  washed  away,  some  instruments  belong- 
ing to  the  R.G.S.  were  drowned  in  their  box,  more  than  forty 
photographic  negatives  were  destroyed,  and  clothing,  bedding, 
and  flour  were  all  soaked  !  The  rapids  were  in  fact  most  ex- 
citing, and  their  risks  throw  those  of  the  Fu  and  the  Yangtze 
from  Cheng-tu  to  Ichang  quite  into  the  shade. 

In  spite  of  a  delay  of  half  a  day  at  Tan- Yang,  owing  to  a 
futile  attempt  to  get  cash  for  silver,  and  another  half-day  spent 
in  beaching  and  repairing  the  boat,  which  had  been  badly 
bumped  on  a  rock,  we  did  the  distance  from  Nang-chhon  to 
Ma-chai  on  the  forks  in  four  and  a  half  days,  or  less  than  a 
third  of  the  time  taken  by  the  laborious  ascent. 

The  penniless  situation  became  so  serious  that  one  day  be- 
fore reaching  Ma-chai  I  had  to  decide  on  returning  to  Seoul 
for  cash  /    The  treasuries  were  said  to  be  empty ;  no  one  be- 
lieved in  silver  or  knew  anything  about  it,  and  supplies  could 
not  be  obtained.     Fortunately  we  arrived  at  the  market-place 
of  Ma-Kyo,  a  village  of  1,850  people,  on  the  market  day,  and 
the  pedlars  gladly  exchanged  cash  for  35  silver  jj-m  at  the  rate 
of  3,oGo,  and  would  willingly  have  changed  70.     It  took  six 
men  to  carry  the  coin  to  the  boat,  which  was  once  more  sub- 
stantially ballasted.     Ma-Kyo  is  the  river  port  of  Che-chon, 
and  has  an  unusually  flourishing  aspect,   boasting  of  many 
good  houses  with  tiled  roofs.     It  exports  rice,  beans,  and  grain 
from  the  very  rich  agricultural  country  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  and  imports  foreign  cottons,  Korean  sackcloth,  and  salt. 
Cotton  in  20  cash  the  measure  of  20  inches  dearer  at  Ma-Kyo 
than  m  Seoul,  and  at  Nang-chhon  70  cash  dearer. 

When  we  reached  the  forks  at  Ma-chai,  the  boatmen,  who 
were  tired  of  the  trip,  wanted  to  go  back,  but  eventually  they 
were  induced  to  fulfil  their  contract,  and  we  entered  the  nor^h 
branch  of  the  Han  on  a  cool,  glorious  afternoon,  following  on 
a  night  and  morning  of  wind  and  rain.     This  north  branch 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  107 

also  rises  in  the  Keum-kang  San  or  Diamond  Mountain  in  the 
province  of  Kong-won,  and  after  a  turbulent  course  of  about 
98  miles  unites  with  the  southern  and  larger  branch  of  the 
Han  about  two  days'  journey  from  Seoul.     For  a  considerable 
distance  the  country  which  it  drains  is  popi^lous  and  well  cul- 
tivated, and  the  hills  of  its  higher  reaches  provide  much  of 
the  timber  which  is  used  in  Seoul,  as  well  as  a  large  proportion 
of  the  firewood  and  charcoal.     The  timber  is  made  up  into 
very  peculiar  rafts,  which  come  down  at  high  water,  but  even 
then  are  frequently  demolished   in   the  rapids.     The  river 
widens  out  above  Ma-chai,  and  for  a  considerable  distance 
has  an  average  breadth  of  440  yards,  but  as  a  rule  it  is  shal- 
low,  and  Its  bottom  dangerously  rocky,  and  it  has  incessant 
rapids  full  of  jagged  rocks,  some  of  which  are  very  dangerous 
and  so  "  ugly  "  that  as  I  went  up  them  I  was  truly  glad  that  I 
had  not  to  descend  them.     Many  a  long,  hard  tug  and  broken 
hawser  we  had,  but  succeeded  in  hauling  the  sampan  7  miles 
above  the  limit  of  low  water  navigation,  which  is  the  same 
distance  from  the  termination  of  boat  traffic  at  high  water     I 
estimate  the  distance  from  Ma-chai  to  Ut-Kiri,  where  further 
progress  was  stopped  by  an  insurmountable  rapid,  at  76  miles 
which  took  nine  days,  though  Kim  and  his  man,  anxious  to 
go  home,  worked  much  harder  than  on  our  earlier  trip. 

For  the  first  few  days  there  are  villages  every  quarter  of  a 
mile,  and  lateral  and  parallel  valleys,  then  rich  in  clean  crops 
of  barley  and  wheat.     The  river  villages  are  surrounded  by 
groves  of  Spanish  chestnut,  mulberry,  cherry,  persimmons,  and 
weeping  willows.     There  are  deep  crateriform  cavities,  now 
full  of  trees  and  abundant  vegetation.     The  hills  are  covered 
with  oak  scrub,  affording  cover  for  tigers,  which  appear  to 
abound.     The  characteristics  of  the  villages  and  the  agricul- 
ture hardly  vary  from  those  on  the  south  branch,  except  that 
the  potato  IS  more  extensively  grown.     Tiie  absence  of  provin- 
cial  and  local  peculiarities  is  a  feature  of  Korea.     An  alley  in 
Seoul  may  serve  for  a  village  street  anywhere  else. 


'ii  :; 


!  ?  ''•  Hi 


H! 


108  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Oold  in  small  quantities  is  found  along  the  river,  and  rumor 
says  that  Ur-rop-so,  a  conical  hill  near  the  dangerous  rapid  of 
Chum-yol   ,s  nch  in  it,  but  that  the  district  official  prohibits 
digging.     Higher  up  a  number  of  men  were  washing  for  gold 
The.r  apparatus  consists  of  a  wooden  sieve  or  gridiron,  on 
which  the  supposed  auriferous  earth  is  placed  above  a  deep 
wooden  tray,  and  rocked  under  water  till  the  heavier  stuff 
passes  through,  to  be  again  rocked  in  search  of  the  glittering 
particles.     The  results  are  placed  on  the  river  bankin  pieces 
of  broken  pottery,  each  watched  by  a  man.     The  earth  is  ob- 
tained by  removing  the  heavy  shingle  of  the  river  bank  and 
d'ggmg  up  the  sand  to  a  depth  of  about  2  feet,  when  rock  is 

r,if       :.  .f  °""  ,t°  *°  '°°  ''^y'  ^'^  "^"^^  t°  ^  bushel  and  a 
naif,  and  the  yield  of  this  quantity  averages  half  a  thimbleful 
of  gold  ma  state  of  fine  subdivision.     These  gold-washers 
se-dom  make  more  than  i6s.  per  month,  and  only  about  ^os 
when  working  in  the  best  goldfields.  * 

Gold  ornaments  are  rarely  seen  in  Korea,  gold  is  scarcely  if 
at  a  1  used  ,n  the  arts  (if  arts  there  are),  and  gold  coins  do  not 
exist.     Nevertheless,  as  is  shown  by  the  Customs  Reports,  the 
quantity  of  gold  dust  exported,  chiefly  to  Japan,  is  very  far 
from  being  despicable,  although  the  reefs  which  presumably 
contam  the  metal,  of  which  the  washings  are  the  proof,  have 
not  yet  been  touched.     The  fees  paid  by  the  miners  to  the 
Government  vary  with  tne  locality.     Gold-digging  without 
Government  authorization  is  prohibited   by  law  under  most 
severe  penalties.     Among  the  richest  goldfields  in  Korea  are 
Phyong  Kang,   not   far   from   the   Han,  and   Keum-San    in 
Phyong-an  Do,  not  far  from  the  Tai-dong.     The  larger  wash- 
ings  collect  as  elsewhere  the  scum  of  the  country,  and  riots 
often  occur  among  the  miners.     I  know  not  on  which  subject 
the  Korean  ,s  the  more  voluble,  tigers  or  gold.     He  is  proud 
of  Korea  as  a  gold-producing  country,  and  speaks  as  if  its  dust 
were  golden  sand  I 

The  groves  of  Spanish  chestnuts  with  which  the  North  Han 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  109 

is  fringed  gave  off  an  overpowering  odor.  Their  fruit  is  an 
important  article  of  diet.  Usually  the  arable  land  below  the 
villages  IS  little  more  than  u  terrace,  but  on  the  hillsides  above 
the  gram  rippled  in  long  yellow  waves  in  the  breeze,  and  the 
hills  constantly  swing  apart  and  reveal  terraced  valleys  and 
brown  orchard  embowered  hamlets;  or  slightly  receding  ex- 
pose  stretches  of  white  sand  or  heaps  of  fantastic  boulders. 

After  two  days  of  severe  work  we  reached  the  beautifully 
situated  town  of  Ka-phyong,  which  straggles  along  the  valley 
of  a  small  tributary  of  the  Han  on  slopes  backed  by  high 
mountains  which,  following  the  usual  Korean  custom,  are  with- 
out names.     The  bright  green  of  the  wheat  fields,  varied  by 
the  darker  green  of  clumps  of  conifers  and  chestnuts,  arranged 
as  If  oy  a  landscape  gardener,  and  the  lines  of  trees  along  the 
river  bank  were  enchanting,  but  Ka-phyong  does  not  bear 
close  inspection.     The  telegraph  wire  from  Seoul  to  Won-san 
crosses  the  river  at  Sin-gang  Kam,  and  there  is  actually  a  tele- 
graph  station  at  Chun-chon,  the  most  important  town  of  that 
region,  at  which  messages  are  received  and  sent  about  once  a 
month  ! 

Chun-chon  is  four  miles  from  the  Han  on  its  left  bank  It 
IS  fortified,  and  has  nominally  a  garrison  of  300  men.  Hav- 
uig  a  population  of  3,000,  and  being  in  the  centre  of  a  fine 
agricultural  district,  it  is  a  place  of  some  trade,  as  trade  is 
understood  in  Korea.  Just  below  it  the  Han,  after  running 
for  some  distance  below  a  lofty  quartz  ridge,  makes  an  abrupt 
turn  and  penetrates  it,  the  walls  of  the  passage  having  the 
regularity  of  a  railway  cutting,  while  the  bed  of  the  stream  is 
of  pure  white  quartz. 

Beyond  this  singular  gateway  the  river  valley  opens  out,  and 
the  spectacle,  rare  in  Korea,  of  cattle  is  to  be  seen.  Indeed. 
I  only  once  saw  cattle  feeding  elsewhere.  The  grass  is  coarse 
and  sour,  and  hand  feeding  is  customary.  It  was  most  pleas- 
ant to  be  awoke  in  the  dewy  morning  by  bellowing  of  cattle, 
shouts  and  laughter  of  boys  and  yelping  of  dogs,  as  bulls  old 


f  ri 


110 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


and  young  were  driven  to  the  river  bank  to  be  tethered  in  the 
flowery  grass.     The  frolicsome  bull  calves,  which  are  brought 
up  in  the  Korean  home,  and  are  attended  to  by  the  children, 
who  are  their  natural  playmates,  develop  under  such  treatment 
into  t       maturity  of  mingled  gentleness  and  stateliness  which 
is  characteristic  of  the  Korean  bull,— the  one  grand  thing  re- 
maining to  Korea,     When  full  grown  a  bull  can  carry  from 
350  to  SCO  lbs.     They  are  fed  on  boiled  beans,  cut  millet 
stalks,  and  cut  pea  haulm,  and  the  water  in  which  the  beans 
are  boiled.     They  are  led  by  a  rope  passed  round  the  horns 
from  a  bamboo  ring  in  the  nose.     The  prevailing  color  is  a 
warm  red,  and  the  huge  animal  in  build  much  resembles  the 
shorthorn.     The  Korean  cow,  which  is  to  be  seen  carrying 
loads  in  Northern  Korea,  is  a  worthy  dam  of  such  a  splendid 
progeny. 

The  scenery,  though  always  pretty,  becomes  monotonous 

after  a  few  days,  and  monotonous  too  were  the  adventures  in 

the  rapids,  which  were  innumerable,  and  the  ceaseless  toiling, 

dragging,  and  tugging  they  involved.     Reaching  Won-chon,  a 

post  station  on  the  road  to  Won-san,  we  halted  and  engaged 

horses  for  a  land  journey,  at  a  very  high  rate,  but  they  and 

their  mapu  or  grooms  turned  out  well,  and  as  Wong  senten- 

tiously  remarked,  "If  you  pay  well,  you  will  be  served  well." 

The  agreement,  which  I  caused  to  be  put  into  writing,  and 

which  I  made  use  of  in  other  journeys,  with  much  mutual 

satisfaction,  was  duly  signed,   and  we  continued  the  boat 

journey. 

After  spending  half  a  day  at  the  prefectural  town  of  Nang- 
chhon,  where  I  am  glad  to  record  that  the  officials  were  very 
courteous,  we  ascended  the  Han  to  a  point  above  the  wild 
hamlet  of  Ut-Kiri,  on  a  severe  rapid  full  of  jagged  rocks. 
Ut-Kiri  is  above  the  head  of  low  water  navigation,  but  in  two 
summer  months  during  the  rains  small  boats  can  reach  Ku-mu- 
nio,  "  the  last  village,"  20  //  higher.  It  was  a  wild  termina- 
tion of  the  long  boat  journey.    An  abrupt  turn  of  the  river, 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  m 

and  its  monotonous  prettiness  is  left  beliind,  and  there  is  a 
superb  mountain  view  of  saddleback  ridges  and  lofty  gray 
peaks  surrounding  a  dark  expanse  of  water,  with  a  margin  of 
gray  boulders  and  needles  of  gray  rock  draped  with  the 
Ampelopsis,  a  yellow  clematis,  and  a  white  honeysuckle.  It 
was  somewhat  sad  not  to  be  able  to  penetrate  the  grim  austerity 
to  the  northward,  but  the  rapids  were  so  severe  and  the  water 
ofttimes  so  hallow  that  it  was  impossible  to  drag  the  sampan 
farther,  though  at  that  time  she  only  drew  2  inches  of  water. 
From  Ma-chai  on  the  forks  she  had  been  poled  and  dragged 
up  forty  rapids,  making  eighty-six  on  the  whole  journey. 

From  the  thinly  peopled  solitudes  of  these  upper  waters  we 
descended  rapidly,  though  not  without  some  severe  bumps,  to 
the  populous  river  banks,  where  villages  are  half  hidden  among 
orchards  and  chestnut  and  mulberry  groves,  and  the  crops  are 
heavy,  and  that  abundance  of  the  necessaries  of  life  which  in 
Korea  passes  for  prosperity  is  the  rule. 

Ta-rai,  a  neat,   prosperous  place  of  240  people,  among 
orchards,  and  hillsides  terraced  and  bearing  superb  crops  is 
an  example  of  the  riverine  villages.     Its  houses  are  built  step 
above  step  along  the  sides  of  a  ravine,  down  which  a  perennial 
stream  flows,  affording  water  power  for  an  automatic  rice  hull- 
mg  machi-e.     For  exports  and  imports  the  Han  at  high 
water  is  a  cheap  and  convenient  highway.     The  hill  slopes 
above  the  village,  with  their  rich  soil,  afford  space  for  agricul- 
tural  expans.on  for  years  to  come.     And  not  to  dwell  alto- 
gether on  the  material,  there  is  a  shrine  of  much  repute  on  a 
fork-bke  slope  near  the  river.     It  contains  a  group  of  mirioks, 
in  this  case  stones  worn  by  the  action  of  water  into  the  sem- 
blance of  human  beings.     The  central  figure,  larger  than  life 
may  even  to  a  dull  imagination  represent  a  person  carrying  an 
iniant,   and  its  eyes,  nose,  and  mouth  are  touched  in  with 
Chma  ink.     It  is  surroundeu  by  Phallic  symbols  and  mirioks, 
which  may  be  supposed  to  represent  children,  and  women 
make  prayers  and  offerings  in  this  shrine  in  the  hope  of  ob- 


112 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


i 

1 


I 


taming  a  much  coveted  increase  in  their  families,  for  male 
children  are  still  regarded  as  a  blessing  in  Korea,  and  "  happy 
IS  the  man  that  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them." 

Ka-phyong  again,  a  small  prefectural  town  of  400  houses  ii^ 
miles  from  the  river,  is  a  good  specimen  of  the  small  towns  of 
the  Han  valley,  with  a  rmnous  yamgn,  of  course,  with  its  non- 
producing  mob  of  hangers-on.     It  is  on  the  verge  of  an  alluvial 
plain,   rolling    up  to  picturesque  hil's,  gashed   by  valleys, 
abounding  in  hamlets  surrounded  by  chestnut  g.oves  and  care- 
ful cultivation.     The  slopes  above  Ka-phyong  break  up  into 
knolls  richly  wooded  with  conifers  and  hard-wood  trees,  fring- 
ing off  into  clumps  and  groups  which  would  not  do  discredit 
to  the  slopes  of  Windsor.     The  people  of  a  large  district  bring 
their  produce  into  the  town,  and  barter  it  for  goods  in  the 
market.     The  telegraph  wire  to  Won-san  crosses  the  affluent 
on  which  Ka-phyong  is  built,  and  is  carried  along  a  bridle 
path  which  for  some  //  runs  along  the  river  bank.     Junks 
loaded  10  feet  above  their  gunwales,  as  well  as  4  feet  outside 
of  them  with  firewood,  and  large  rafts  were  waiting  for  the 
water  to  rise.     Boats  were  being  built  and  great  quantities  of 
the  strong  rope  used  for  towing  and  other  purposes,  which  is 
made  from  a  "creeper"  which  grows  profusely  in  Central 
Korea,  were  awaiting  water  carriage.     Yet  Ka-phyong,  like 
other  small  Korean  towns,  has  no  life  or  go.     Its  "  merchants  " 
are  but  pedlars,  its  commercial  ideas  do  not  rise  above  those 
of  the  huckster,  and  though  poverty,  as  we  understand  it,  is 
unknown,  prosperity  as  we  understand  it  is  absent.     There  are 
no  special  industries  in  any  of  the  riverine  towns,  and  if  they 
were  all  to  disappear  in  some  catastrophe  it  would  not  cause  a 
ripple  on  the  surface  of  the  general  commercial  apathy  of  the 
country. 

Similar  remarks  apply  to  the  prefectural  town  of  Nang- 
chhon,  where  we  again  wasted  some  hours,  while  Kim's  rice 
was  first  bargained  for  and  then  cleaned.  At  that  point  there 
IS  a  fine  deep  stretch  of  the  river  230  yards  broad  abounding 


Natural  Beauty— The  Rapids  113 

in  fish.  From  Nang-chh6n  we  dropped  down  the  Han  to  a 
deep  and  pretty  bay  on  which  the  small  village  of  Paik-kui  Mi 
IS  situated,  where  we  halted  for  Sunday,  our  last  day  in  the 
sampan  -^hxch  had  been  a  not  altogether  comfortless  home  for 
five  weeks  and  a  half. 


3 
t  i 


!] 


/ 


CHAPTER  IX 

KOREAN   MARRIAGE  CUSTOMS 

pAIK-KUl  MI  was  not  without  a  certain  degree  of  life  on  that 
1  Sunday.  A  yang-l^an^s  steward  impressed  boats  for  the 
gratuuous  carr.age  of  tiles  to  Seoul,  which  caused  a  1  tUe  fie 
ble  excitement  among  the  junkmen.  There  was  a  sick  ^rsoT 
and  a  .^  ^r  female  exorcist  was  engaged  during  theTcJ; 
day  n  the  attempt  to  expel  the  malevolent  daemon  which  ws 
affl  ctmg  him   the  process  being  accompanied  by  the  constln 

bals.     Lastly,  there  was  a  marriage,  and  this  deserves  moTe  " 
than  a  passing  notice,  marriage,  burial,  and  exorcism   with 
their  ceremonials,  being  the  outstanding  features  of  KoTe'a" 

The  Korean  is  nobody  until  he  is  married.     He  is  a  bein^ 
of  no  account,  a  «-  hobbledehoy."     The  weddingi;  tZ 
entrance  on  respectability  and  manhood,  and  mark!  a  lean   ' 
wards  on  te  social  ladder.     The  youth,  with  long  aimfd Zt" 

shTrt       .rV"  '''"  ""^^'^  ''^"^  P'^'^^^  -'  '^^  back,  wear  ng  a 
sho  t.  girdled  coat,  and  looking  as  if  he  had  no  placehthe    * 
world  though  he  may  be  quite  grown  up,  and  who  "2    ' 
taken  by  strangers  for  a  girl,  is  transformed  by  the  formaTre 

ZZ:   Tr  ^^^'■^\--^'^-^  ^^e  binding  cereZn    of 

marriage.     He  has  received  the  tonsure,  and  the  long  hair  sur 

rounding  ,t  is  drawn  into  the  now  celebrated   topknot" 

He  .s  invested  with  the  mangan,  a  crownless  skullcap  or  fi^;t 

of  horsehair,  without  which,  thereafter,  he  is  never  seen      He 

•The  notes  on  marriage  customs  which  follow  were  Hven  me  bv  Pn» 

l.sh-speakmg  Koreans  and  were  taken  down  at  the  tiSr    ^h.^     T 

chiefly  to  the  middle  class.  '     ^^^  ^PP^^ 

"4 


/  I 


/ 


Korean  Marriage  Customs 


>»5 

wears  a  black  hat  and  a  long  full  coat,  and  his  awkward  ..it 
s  metamorphosed  into  a  dignified  swing.  His  boy  conZlZl 
u^  be^me  his  inferiors.     His  nam^takes  the  Ic  S    7 

inthnr.  r       '  '.'^'^""•^'fi-^  »^"«'  '>e  used  in  addressing  him- 

'"  sho  t  from  be.ng  a  "  nobody  "  he  becomes  a  "  somebody." 

A  g  rl  by  marrying  fulfils  her  "  manifest  destiny."     Spins- 

rhood  .n  Korea  .s  relegated  to  the  Buddhist  nunneries,  w'here 

t  has  no  reputation  for  sanctity.     Absolutely  secluded  in  the 

•nner  court  of  her  father's  house  from  the  age  of  seven   a  .  r  1 

passes  abc  -t  the  age  of  seventeen  to  the  absolute     c  us'ion^f 

the  inner  rooms  of  her  father-in-law's  house.     The  o  d    es  are 

broken,  and  her  husband's  home  is  thenceforth  her  pWson 

covers  a  lelt  hardship.  It  ,s  needless  to  add  that  the  younjr 
coufjes  do  not  choose  each  other.  The  marriage  is  a  raS 
by  the  fathers,  and  is  consented  to  as  a  matter  of  course.  A 
tnan  gams  the  reputation  of  being  a  neglectful  father  who 
a  ows  h.s  son  to  reach  the  age  of  twenty  unmarried  Seven- 
teen or  eighteen  is  the  usual  age  at  which  a  man  marries  1 
g.rl  may  go  through  the  marriage  ceremony  as  a  m^e "h  id  it 
her  parents  think  an  '.  eligible  "  may  slip  through  th    rtgerf 

IS  sixteen.     On  the  other  hand,  boys  of  ten  and  twelve  years 
of  age  are  constantly  married  when  their  parents  for  any  reason 
w.sh  to  see  the  affair  settled  and  a  desirable  connectiorpre 
sents  uself  and  the  yellow  hats  and  pink  and  blue  c^s  ad 

z:^:r^^::L'' "^'^ ''''''''---- -^^ 

A  go-bet»eEn  is  generally  employed  for  Ihe  preliminary  ar- 
rangemenrs.  No  money  is  given  to  the  bride'^  farter  by  the 
bndegroom  nor  does  ,he  daughter  receive  a  dowry,  bm  she  fe 
snpp  ,ed  .v„h  a  large  ,«„„„„,  „,,i,h  .-^  ^^  ^^^IS^^ 
marnage  chests  with  brass  clamps  and  decorations.  Theris 
no  betrothal  ceremony,  and  after  the  arrangement  hasten 
made  the  marr,age  may  be  delayed  for  weeks  or  even  monTta 


-' 


'     f 


Il6  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Wl,en  it  is  thought  desirable  that  it  should  take  place,  but  not 
u.lt.1  the  evening  before,  the  bridegroom's  father  sends  a  sort 
of  marnage-contract  to  the  br.de's  father,  who  receives  it  with- 
out replying,  and  two  pieces  of  silk  are  sent  to  the  bride,  out 
of^whah  her  outer  garments  must  be  made  for  the  mar;iage 

enf.rT^'  °f  "^'"  ^^^••^•"g  m  'ilk  lanterns  bear  this  pres- 
ent to  the  bnde,  and  on  the  way  are  met  by  a  party  of  men 
from  her  father's  house  bearing  torches,  and  a'figUeLr 
w  .d.  ,s  often  more  than  a  make-believe  one,  for  seLus  bloJ; 
are  exchanged,  and  on  both  sides  some  are  hurt.     Death  Zl 

If  theT?  "".""""  ^°  '°"°^°"  ^^^-""^«  -eived 
L  h  ^".^'f  "^"^^  P'^'y  '•«  worsted  in  the  »,e/,e  it  is  a  sign 
that  h.  W.11  have  bad  luck;  if  the  bride's,  that  she  will  have 
m.sfortunes.  The  night  before  the  marriage  the  parents  of  the 
bnde  and  groom  sacrifice  in  their  respective  houses  before  the 
ancestral  tablets,  and  acquaint  the  ancestors  with  the  ev  nl 
which  IS  to  occur  on  the  morrow. 
The  auspicious  day  having  been  decided  on  by  the  sorcerer 

m  Court  dress,  leaves  h.s  father's  house,  and  on  that  occasion 
only  a  plebeian  can  pass  a  yang-^an  on  the  road  without  dis- 
mounting. Two  men  walk  before  him,  one  carrying  a  white 
umbrella,  and  the  other,  who  is  dressed  in  red  cloth,',  goo  e 
which  is  the  emblem  of  conjugal  fidelity.  He  is  also  attended 
se^trL""'"  carrying  unlighted  red  silk  lanterns,  by  various 
ervants,  by  a  married  brother,  if  he  has  one.  or  by  his  father 

from  Z  T.  ^Vr'""^'  ''^  '"^'"^'•°"  ■-  '^'^^  the  g-se 
from  the  hands  of  the  man  in  red,  goes  into  the  housefand 

efved  77  "  '''^'     ^^^^-^^  °f  ^'^■■^  ^-^'^^  -t  --t  be  ob- 

Tnd  is.        •'""'""''  '''"'^^^  only  required  from  the  wife, 
and  IS  a  feminine  virtue  only 

leadTheTr  "'°  "!  ""^  *°  '^'''''  °"  -^'^  occasions 
lead  the  bride  on  to  the  veranda,  or  an  estrade.  and  place  her 

opposite  the  bridegroo.n,  who  stands  facing  her,  but  at  some 


Korean  Marriage  Customs 


i»7 

little  distance  from  her.  The  wedding  guests  fill  the  court- 
yard. This  ,s  the  man's  first  view  of  his  future  wife.  She 
may  have  seen  h.m  through  a  chink  in  the  lattice  or  a  hole  in 
tl^e  wall.  A  queer  object  she  is  to  our  thinking.  Her  fa  e 
covered  wah  white  powder,  patched  with  spots  of  red,  and  h 
eyehds  are  glued  together  by  an  adhesive  compound.  At  1  e 
-t^afon  of  her  attendants  she  bows  twice  t^her  lord   ad 

tion'wr  V'T  '"  '"•     ''  '^  '''■■^  P"^"^  --FO-l  "salu- 
tation    which  alone  constitutes  a  valid  marriage      After  it   if 
he  repudiates  her,  he  cannot  take  another  wiff.     The  pe  L 
nence  of  the  marriage  tie  is  fully  recognized  in  Kore     t'o"  . 
a  man  can  form  as  many  illicit  connections  as  he  chooses     A 

ll^s'it  ''  "  ''"'''  ^°  ''''  »^''^^'  ^ho  merely 

set1,eforT[he  I'T  ^'"  '"'"  '  *^''^  "'^'^  ^  ^-'"^J^  ^'""er  is 
set  before  the  husband.  a  eats  sparingly.  The  bride  retires 
to  he  won,en's  rooms,  and  the  groom  rejoices  with  his  fr    k 

Each  .      ;      ''"'^""^'-     '^'""  ^'  "°  simultaneous  banq" 
Each  guest  on  arriving  is  supplied  with  a  table  of  food.     S     h 

1      ;  T  °  "'•^'  ^"^  ^  ^^"-y  <=''eap  wedding  costs 

seven  y-five^.„  so  that  several  daughters  are'  misfor  une 

Durinp  the  afternoon  the  husband  returns  to  his  father', 
house  and  after  a  time  the  bride,  bundled  p  in  ^  nss  If 
wedding  clothes,  and  with  her  eyelids  still  sealed  tte  2"  by 
the  two  women  mentioned  before,  some  hired  g  rls  .nd  men 
w.th  lanterns,  goes  thither  also,  in  a  rigidly  dosed  c  air  n 
the  gay  decorations  of  which  red  predominates.  Ther  I  ^  " 
oTles  '    "  '^'"^  ^"'  -other-in-law,  to  whom  sfe  bow 

the  htse  of  7""'  'P'"'^"^-     ''^^  '^  ^'^^"  --^^  back  to 
the  house  of  her  own  parents,  her  eyelids  are  unsealed,  and 

the  powder  ,s  washed  from  her  face.     At  five  her  husband  ar 

nves  but  returns  to  his  father's  house  on  the  followi  g  morn. 

•ng,  this  process  of  going  and  returning  being  repeated  for 


i 
h  ,- 


i)  ,  '■ 


il^i 


nm 


ii8 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


tV:    \fZ  "'?  '':  '"'^  ''  ^-'^^  -  ^  PJ-  chair  to 
she  i  Ino«.r  '  '•'"  '°"^  °^  ''''  parents-in-law,  where 

bir^h  ^-,"7'  ^T"f  °"  '^''"  ''^^  ^^'-  P"«"t«  soon  after  her 
brth    s  dropped,  and  she  is  known  thereafter  only  as  "the 

b  d  HH  "'  '"I  °'  " ''''  "^^"^^^  °^  so  -"d  so."  'ner  hus 
band  addresses  her  by  the  word  ja^u,  signifying'^Look 
here  "  whjch  ^s  significant  of  her  relations  to  hinf  ^ 

Silence  is  regarded  as  a  wife's  first  duty.     During  the  whole 
of  the  marnage  day  the  bride  must  be  as  mute  as  a  statue       f 

ofydT,'  ""f  r  ^""  -"^'^^  ^  ^'^"  ^^^  becomes  aTobie 
of  ridicule,  and  her  silence  must  remain  unbroken  even  h^hel 

own  room,  though  her  husband  may  attempt  to  break  i    bl 
taunts  jeers,  or  coaxing,  for  the  female  servants  are  aU  on  th^ 
^m  vw.  for  such  a  breach  of  etiquette  as    neech    i 
about  the  doors  and  chinks  to  catch  up    nrgoslpe^.;"! 

reVctcirVhr'?"'  rT  ^-  -^--'^-e: 

ner  circ  e      This  custopi  of  silence  is  observed  with  th*. 
greatest  rigidity  in  the  higher  classes.     It  may  be  a  week  or 
several   months  before  the  husband  knows  the's^  „d  of  h 
wife  s  voice,  and  even  after  that  for  a  length  of  tim^  «l,! 
opens  her  mouth  for  necessary  speech.     ^^Z^^L 
the  law  of  silence  is  even  more  rigid.     The  daughter-in-laT 

:  woXi-r  ^^^'^^"^  '-'''^ '-  '^-  ^°  ^-  -^^-si:^ 

few'^'f  f:  iThr";;""'  '"'"  ^°  '^  ''"^^^"^'  ^"*  ^e  has 

withL^;;-j\--tt=^ 

scorn  and  ridicule  if  he  showed  her  affection  or  trt ted  1 1 
a  companion.     Among  the  upper  classes  a  bd  1  groo^      t 
passing  three  or  four  days  with  his  wife,  leaves  hTfor  ;  con 
siderable  time  to  show  his  indifference      T^     .  '^^^  ^  *^on- 
would  be  "bad  fnrm  >•     AT    /"°'"^'^^"ce.     To  act  otherwise 

of  imerests  and  ZT    ,     '  'T"'''''''  ''  '^'''  "'«  community 
interests  and  occupations  which  poverty  gives,  and  the  em- 


Korean  Marriage  Customs  no 

bargo  which  it  lays  on  other  connections,  in  Korea  as  in  some 
other  Oriental  countries,  produces  happier  marriages  among 
the  lower  orders  than  among  the  higher.     Korean  women  have 
always  borne  the    yoke.     They  accept  inferiority  as  their 
natural  lot;  they  do  not  look  for  affection  in  marriage,  and 
probably  the  idea  of  breaking  custom  never  occurs  to  them. 
Usually  they  submit  quietly  to  the  rule  of  the  belle-mire,  and 
those  who  are  insubordinate  and  provoke  scenes  of  anger  and 
scandal  are  reduced  to  order  by  a  severe  beating,  when  they 
are  women  of  the  people.     But  in  the  noble  class  custom  for- 
bids a  husband  to  strike  his  wife,  and  as  his  only  remedy  is  a  ' 
divorce,  and  remarriage  is  difficult,  he  usually  resigns  himself 
to  his  fate.     But  if,  in  addition  to  tormenting  him  and  de- 
stroying  the  peace  of  his  house,  the  wife  is  unfaithful,  he  can 
take  her  to  a  mandarin,  who.  after  giving  her  a  severe  beating 
may  bestow  her  on  a  satellite. 

The  seclusion  of  girls  in  the  parental  home  is  carried  on 
after  marriage,  and  in  the  case  of  women  of  the  upper  and 
middle  classes  is  as  complete  as  is  possible.     They  never  go 
out  by  daylight  except  in  completely  closed  chairs.     At  night 
attended  by  a  woman  and  a  servant  with  a  lantern,  and  with  I 
mantle  over  her  head,  a  wife  may  stir  abroad  and  visit  her  fe- 
male friends,  but  never  without  her  husband's  permission,  who 
requires  or  may  require,  proof  that  the  visit  has  been  actually 
paid.     Shopping  is  done  by  servants,  or  goods  are  brought  to 
the  veranda,  the  vendors  discreetly  retiring.     Time,   which 
among  the  leisured  classes  hangs  heavily  on  the  hands,  is  spent 
in   spasmodic  cooking,  sewing,  embroidering,  reading  very 
light  literature  in  En-mun,  and  in  the  never-failing  resources 
of  gossip  and  the  interminable  discussion  of   babies      If  a 
wife  IS  very  dull  indeed,  she  can,  with  her  husband's  permis- 
sion, send  for  actors,  or  rather  posturing  reciters,  to  the  com- 
pound, and  look  at  them  through  the  chinks  of  the  bamboo 
blinds     Through  these  also  many  Korean  ladies  have  seen 
the  splendors  of  the  Kttr-dong. 


n 


120 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


improved.     Girls,  as  being  unable  to  support  their  parents  in 

a  e  Z  thV°  '"'"".  '''  ^"^^^^^^^  "*-' '-  not  pLTasto 
are,  yet  they  are  neither  superfluous  nor  unwelcome  as  in  .nl! 

Eastern  countries      The  birth  of  a  girl  is  not Tade  an^Z 
sion  for  rejoicing,  but  that  of  the  firstborn  son  is  and  Jt^T 

rndKand  are  p„.  .„  sleep  by  >.i.,  t.^,  U.M^Z: Z 


ft 


/       -7  ^  /'J 


'/ 

A  KOREAN  LADY. 


I 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  KOREAN  PONY-KOREAN   ROADS  AND  INNS 

A  GRAY  and  murky  morning  darkening  into  drizzle,  which 
^  4.  ""ckened  into  a  dav*s  noiirino  r^.v  .    "^' '^""=" 

becinn-.      ,f  „  i         ,'    .^'"'""8  ™n.  "as  an  inauspicious 

no«h      ■ ,  h  a  i  ^       "  '""'•"'''• ''"'  ">'  crawling  „p  ,he 
wcl       s  ab,f  T""  "'°"'"°"°"» -"  ^"-'8'  -d  actio, 
«nged  th    ?ol  f  "^  r  "t*™"c«'  -"leteer,  I  had  ar- 
Z,T„  '^''''  '"">'  «"  "J""^%  as  to  obviate  tl,e 

r„  wir     /""T  "'  ""-^^  "  grooms  at  starting  I     The 
men  were  not  regular  m<i/,u,  and  »ere  going  chieliv  to  see  tV 

an'dT  H  """T'"-     °"=  ™^  -"  'd-ated  a,^  ge'^,  elnf; 
and  the  bystanders  jeered  at  them  for  "  loading  like  schlre" 

re^urt  Th?""  °/f  "''°"'""'"'  Korean^ony  was  no, 
reafflunng.     The  men  had  never  seen  a  foreign  saddle  and  were 
half  an  hour  ,n  getting  i,  ,.  fi,cd."     Though  a  pony's  «dd!e 
werlt    7  ""':"'  '•"  '"'  "^^"'«'»  «•-"'»  bodyTthegl^hs 
ammal  b,t,  squealed,  struck  with  his  fore  and  hind  ffet  and 

:r.ffiS::^iroCrto-^^^---- 

burdens  Ire     n'1  ,r  '''"''^''  '°  ''•     ^'^^  ^"'-^l^  "«ed  for 
forln      ^  f "'°"''  ^'""^  '°   to    12  hands  high,  well 

30  m.les  a  day,  week  after  week,  on  sorry  food.     They  are 

lai 


i  ;  -' 


i  ; 


t     . 

I  i 


-  'iJi 
I  1  ^ 

•  i  li 

^1 


y 


122 


K.  rea  and  Her  Neighbors 


most  desperate  fighters,  squealing  and  trumpeting  on  all  oc- 
casions, attacking  every  pony  they  meet  on  the  road,  never 
•     becoming  reconciled  to  each  other  even  on  a  long  journey,  and 
Jn  their  fury  ignoring  their  loads,  which  are  often  smashed  to 
pieces.     Their  savagery  makes  it  necessary  to  have  a  mapu  for 
every  pony,  instead  of.  as  in  Persia,  one  to  five.     At  the  inn 
s  ables  they  are  not  only  chained  down  to  the  troughs  by 
chains  short  enough  to  prevent  them  from  raising  their  heads 
but  are  partially  slung  at  night  to  the  heavy  beams  of  the  roof 
^ven  under  these  restricted  circumstances  their  cordial  hatred 
finds  vent  in  hyena-like  yells,  abortive  snrps,  and  attempts  to 
swing  their  hind  legs  round.     They  are  never  allowed  to  lie 
down,  and  very  rarely  to  drink  water,  and  then  only  when 
freely  salted.     Their  nostrils  are  all  slit  in  an  attempt  to  im- 
prove upon  Nature  and  give  them  better  wind.     They  are  fed 
three  times  a  day  on  brown  slush  as  hot  as  they  can  drink  it 
composed  of  beans,  chopped  millet  stalks,  rice  husks,  and 
bran,  with  the  water  in  which  they  have  been  boiled.     The 
mapu  are  rough  to  them,  but  I  never  saw  them  either  ill-used 
or  petted.     Dearly  as  I  love  horses,  I  was  not  able  on  two 
journeys  to  make  a  friend  of  mine.     On  this  journey  I  rode 
a  handsome  chestnut,  only  lo  hands  high.     He  walked  4 
miles  an  hour,  and  in  a  month  of  travelling,  for  much  of  it 
over  infamous  mountain  roads,  never  stumbled,  but  he  resented 
every  attempt  at  friendliness  both  with  teeth  and  heels.    They 
are  worth  from  503.  upwards,  and  cost  little  to  keep. 

Their  attendants,  the  mapu,  who  are  by  no  means  always 
their  owners,  or  even  part  owners,  are  very  anxious  about  them 
and  take  very  great  care  of  them,  seeing  to  what  passes  as  their 
comfort  before  their  own.  The  pack  saddle  is  removed  at  once 
on  halting,  the  animals  are  well  rubbed,  and  afterwards  thick 
straw  mats  are  bound  round  their  bodies.  Great  care  is  given 
to  the  cooking  of  their  food.  I  know  not  whether  the  partial 
slinging  of  them  to  the  crossbeams  is  to  relieve  their  legs  or 
to  make  fighting  more  difficult.     On  many  a  night  I  have  been 


l 


The  Korean  Pony— Roads  and  Inns      123 

kept  awake  by  the  screams  of  some  fractious  animal,  kickin/j 
anf?  biting  his  neighbors  as  well  as  he  was  able,  till  there  was 
a  general  plunging  and  squealing,  which  lasted  till  blows  and 
execrations  restored  some  degree  of  order. 

After  I  mounted  my  steed,  he  trudged  along  very  steadily 
unless  any  of  his  fellows  came  near  him,  when,  with  an  evil 
giare  in  his  eyes  and  a  hyena-like  yell,  he  rushed  upon  them 
teeth  and  hoof,  entirely  oblivious  of  bit  and  rider. 

A  torrent  of  rain  fell,  and  the  day's  journey  consisted  in 
splashing  through  deep  mud,  fording  swollen  streams,  because 
the  bridges  which  crossed  them  were  rotten,  getting  wet  to  the 
skin  and  getting  partially  dry  by  sitting  on  the  hot  floor  of  a 
hovel  called  an  inn  at  the  noonday  halt,  along  with  a  steam- 
ing crowd  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  in  clean  and  dirty 
white  clothes.  ^ 

The  road  by  which  we  travelled  h  the  main  one  from  Seoul 
to  the  eastern  treaty  port  of  Won-san.     It  passes  through  rice 
valleys  with  abundant  irrigation,  and  along  the  sides  of  bare 
hills      Goods  and  travellers  were  not  to  be  looked  for  in  such 
weather,  but  there  were  a  few  strings  of  coolies  loaded  with 
tobacco,  and  a  few  more  taking  dried  fish  and  dried  seaweed 
the  latter  a  great  article  of  diet,  from  Won-san  to  the  capital 
J'ajas,  or  water  pestles  for  hulling  rice,  under  rude  thatched 
sheds,  were  numerous.     These  work  automatically,  and  their 
solemn  thud  has  a  tone  of  mystery.     The  machine  consists  of 
a  heavy  log  centred  on  a  pivot,  with  a  box  at  one  end  and  a 
pestle  at  r,e  other.     Water  from  a  stream  with  some  feet  of 
fall  IS  led  into  the  box,  which  when  full  tips  over  its  contents 
and  bears  down  one  end  of  the  log,  when  the  sudden  rise,  act- 
ing on  the  pestle  at  the  other  end,  brings  it  down  with  a  heavy 
Uiud  on  the  nee  in  the  hollowed  stone,  which  serves  as  a  mortar 
Where  this  simple  machine  does  not  exist  the  work  is  performed 
by  women.  ^ 

Denuded  hillsides  gave  place  to  wooded  valleys  with  torrents 
much  resembling  parts  of  Japan,  the  rain  fell  in  sheets,  and 


'  ■  'f  I 


;i 


V 


'7 


124  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

pang  Kor.,  the  mapu  declined  to  proceed  farther,  and  there  I 
had  my  first  experience  of  a  Korean  inn.  Many  ^eeks  on  tha 
and  subsequent  joun,eys  s.owed  me  that  this  abominable  shel- 
ter, as  I  then  thought  ,t.  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  average  speci- 
men and  many  a  hearty  meal  and  good  sound  sleep  may  be 
enjoyed  under  such  apparently  unpropitious  circmstances 

\J\1'Z  '"^  "l^  '"'^"'''"  '""^  •"  ^°r^^-  The  irregu. 
lar  mn  differs  .n  nothing  from  the  ordinary  hovel  of  the  v^l- 
lage  roadway,  unless  it  can  boast  of  a  yard  with  troughs  ad 
can  provide  entertainment  for  beast  as  well  as  for  man  '  The 
regular  inn  of  the  towns  and  large  villages  consists  Sy  of  a 

by  a' u^m^d      ""  ''  '°'"  ^"'  ''''''  ^"^-'^  ^-^  ^he  ro  d 
by  a  tumble-down  gateway.     A  gaunt  black  pig  or  two  teth.  -ed 

On  one  or  two  sides  are  ramshackle  sheds,  with  rude  hol- 
lowed trunks  in  front,  out  of  which  the  poiiies  suck  the  hot 
brown  slush  which  sustains  their  strength  and  pngnacity  On 
the  o^ier  IS  the  furnace-shed  with  the  oats  where  the  slush  is 
coo  ed,  the  same  fire  usually  heating  the  flues  of  the  /^floo 

for  th?  T"  r™'  ^'''^  ^^^"^^  ''''  '■"  the  same  shed  cook 
for  the  guests.  Low  lattice  doors  filled  in  with  torn  and  dirty 
paper  g,ve  access  to  a  room  the  mud  floor  of  which  is  concealed 
by  reed  mats,  usually  dilapidated,  sprinkled  with  wooden  b  ocks 
wh,ch  serve  as  pillows.  Farming  gear  and  hat  boxes  often  find 
a  place  on  the  low  heavy  crossbeams.  Into  this  room  are 
crowded  ..M  travellers,  and  servants,  the  low  ..  J2  of 

.^ies'of   r:  '   "^''""^'^  -d^-^-^-^  receive  the  hospital- 
ZZ    ?       T"''  ""'S^'^'^'y'  ^"d  the  peasants  open  their 

ance.     There  is  in  all  inns  of  pretensions,  however,  another 
existed,  I  obtained,  and  if  not  I  had  a  room  in  the  women's 


1! 
t< 


The  Korean  Pony—Roads  and  Inns      125 

quarters  at  the  back,  remarkable  only  for  its  heat  and  vermin 
and  the  amount  of  ang-paks,  bundles  of  dirty  clothes  S 
ro  t,„g  for  soy  and  other  plenishings  which  itWt    ned  a "d 
wh.ch  reduced  its  habitable  portion  to  a  minimum.     At  nilt 

.rooinf  f   "^"';  " '"  ^"'  ^"'^  ^  ^^-  °f  -1  i"  ^he  room  mfd 
groping  for  one's  effects  possible. 

8o?r„  's^"  ™  '!,"'"  °'«''=^'«1  from  the  pomes'  fire.   From 

over l°o'a„d7f'r""  """"'^""^'  ^"'  "  »-  f-q-nUy 
over  92  ,  and  I  spent  one  terrible  night  sitting  at  my  dL  be 

cause  „  was  .050  „i,hi„.     l„  ,hi,  furnace,  *hichhe«s  the 
floor  and  the  sp,„e  con-fortably,  the  Korean  wayfarer  revels 

On  arrmng  at  an  inn,  the  master  or  servant  rushrat  th. 
dTs  ■  ".T:''""  "■"'^'''  «°°'  """  -  »h'r«  it  a  grea 

,nH  ,r         °    ""^'  ""^  '"'^P  's  animate  as  well  as  inanimate 
and  the  groans,  s.ghs,  scratchings,  and  restlessness  from   he 

r:ffe  dTmt™^  im'"'  '"^="  "^^ ""' '""'' 

^  .he  iandlordTdZn^ "hrirV: :  ^dZ 

xra':sfSriL-s-it:nrE 

and  China)  is  a  perfect  preventative 

In  most  inns  rice,  eggs,  vegetables,  and  a  {^^  Korean  dain 
ties  such  as  soup  vermicelli,  dried  seaweed,  and  a  pTste  made" 

Ihe  charges  at  Korean  inns  are  ridiculously  low     Nothing 

M:,''^%r^'i'r:c.'i-H; 


1  i . 
■■  t 


1. 


126 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


northern  inns.  ^  P'"*^^  °^  ""'ce  in  the 

Korean  cuslon,  ^"'''"'"«  ="""  ''"k  is  comrary  ,o 

travelling  l,;,  Het        "f  ?'  u  "'"  "'  ^^"  """  Korean 
the  "globe  ,ro,to"arH''       .     ''  ""'"''  ""'"''"^  >° 

to  con,?;  .i.e  co:r:^^ri-™  ;':r '""»'  -^  "">  - 

A  European  wo^'  h  d  ofbT  :' Z  ^^  ^' "'"^  "°™"- 
journey,  and  I  suffered  aeeo  d  ng  .  ^1.7  ""^  °'  "" 
as  a  specimen .  ^^'     ^^'^■P^"g  Kori  may  serve 

My  quarters  were  opoosite  tn  fr,«  ^     • 
of  the  foul  and  erowdXourlrd  "^T'  °"     '  """^'"^ 
with  a  space  under  ,1,.  J7     ,  ""'  *"'  '"o  rooms, 

on  which  the^ri,  ,i      ir    "  "«?'  '""'"  ""^^  "»" 
tablished  Wmsel  'w    =  'ff '^^^^  -"^P"''^".  =»<!  Wonges! 

there  was  „o,h,^g  ZXTZIT  '"t  "•"'"'"•  ''-"«'> 
culty,  and  a  li.ele  rice  left     "^    r  ^^«' "'""""''»■'">  *«!- 

room  had  .hre    papeTd  l""' ^T  "'?r'  ''"^-    "^ 
filled  up  with  a  crowd  „f„  ""''"'''  "P""  »'  once 

paper  w'a s  o  „  off"'  JZT'  T'"'  """  '""'"'"•     A"  ">' 

faces  ,00k  its  pt    '  I  h    ,'/      "  "?'  "'  ^'■">'  """^oHan 

sticks  were  produced  a„5  1  '  '™''™  ""'""''  •"«  '""K 

middle  Of  ,he  room     xt   '^    T,""  ""''  P*''  '"'"  '^^ 

filled  .he  small Z°e  nM  o""""*.  '?"'''  '"  '"'  ""O"'  '"d 
small  space  nol  occupied  by  myself  and  my  gear 


The  Korean  Pony-Roads  and  Inns      127 
The  women  and  children  saf  nn  r«.,  k  ^  •    . 

in  long  p,.,s  down  their  backs.     T^^::^^:^^ 

Wong  cSd  the  r.  ^'""P^^^f^.  °f  800,  were  intolerable, 
they  1  ed  1  ir  ""  '  "''^  ''"'"'  '"^  ^"^gested  that  when 
ZhZ    ^  ^^  '"  ^^^'"'  *^^>'  should  find  me  sitting  on 

the  bed  cleaning  „,y  revolver,  a  suggestion  I  accep   d  ^He 

dor'LSTn^r:;:/"  Tr'^i;  ""'f -'-^  "'^'  -^^  -■ 

markets,  are  al™  fo„  ,h    l^!'""'/'"  ^°'"^  ^PP'^  *« 

tempting  to  deprive  nthf^rc  r.r  ^i      ', r.''^^  Keeping  and  at- 
Th/fea?  or  tiger:ir;:m:?^^^^^^^^^ 
'ng  by  night,  which  is  as  well,  as  the  S  of  'ffi     ''"'"' 
'  e^ v?C^;;'r  ^°  .^--^  -  escortXlbe^  f;: 
fa~'cL'^^,^^^^^^^^^^  the  way- 

torches,  yelling,  and  be  t;  g    t  ThTd'  '^T "\"^^'"^ 
is  so  universal  as  to  warrant  thlrv  "^  °^  '^'  ''^^' 

"The  KnrP.n  r  ,    '?'^'^"t  t'le  Chinese  proverbial  sayine. 
The  Korean  hunts  the  tiger  one  half  of  the  year,  and  th; 


I  'M 


ii    { 


128  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

tiger  hunts  the  Korean  tlie  other  half."    As  I  have  before  re- 
marked,   the   mandarins  and  yangbans,   with   their  trains, 
quarter  themselves  on  the  magistracies,  and  eat  the  fat  of  the 
land.     Should  they  be  compelled  to  have  recourse  to  the  dis- 
comforts of  an  inn  and  the  food  of  a  village,  they  appropriate 
the  best  of  everything  without  paying  for  it.     Hence  the  visit 
of  a  foreigner  armed  with  a  kwan-ja  is  such  an  object  of  dread 
that  on  this  land  journey  I  never  let  it  be  known  that  I  had 
one,  and  on  my  second  journey  discarded  it  altogether,  trust- 
mg  in  both  to  the  reputation  for  scrupulous  honesty  which  I  at 
once  established  with  my  men  to  overcome  the  repugnance 
which  the  innkeepers  felt  to  receiving  me. 

The  roads  along  which  the  traveller  rides  or  trudges,  at  a 
pace,  in  either  case,  of  3  miles  an  hour,  are  simply  infamous. 
There  are  few  made  roads,  and  those  which  exist  are  deep  in 
dust  m  summer  and  in  mud  in  winter,  where  they  are  not 
polished  tracks  over  irregular  surfaces  and  ledges  of  rock     In 
most  cases  they  are  merely  paths  worn  by  the  passage  of 
animals  and  men  into  some  degree  of  legibility.     Many  of  the 
streams  are  unbridged,  and  most  of  the  bridges,  the  roadways 
of  which  are  only  of  twigs  and  sod,  are  carried  away  by  the 
rains  of  early  July,  and  are  not  restored  till  the  middle  of 
October.    In  some  regions  traffic  has  to  betake  itself  to  fords 
or  femes  when  it  reaches  a  stream,  with  their  necessary  risks 
and  detentions.    Even  on  the  "Six  Great  Roads"  which 
centre  m  the  capital,  the  bridges  are  apt  to  be  in  such  a  rot- 
ten condition  that  a  mapu  usually  goes  over  in  advance  of  his 
horses  to  ascertain  if  they  will  bear  their  weight.     Among  the 
mountains,  roads  are  frequently  nothing  else  than  boulder- 
strewn  torrent  beds,  and  on  the  best,  that  between  Seoul  and 
Chemulpo,  during  the  winter,  there  are  tracts  on  which  the 
mud  IS  fron,  one  to  three  feet  deep.     These  infamous  bridle 
tracks,  of  which  I  have  had  extensive  experience,  are  one  of 
the  great  hindrances  to  the  development  of  Korea 
Among  the  worst  of  these  is  that  part  of  the  main  road  from 


^ 


The  Korean  Pony— Roads  and  Inns      129 

Seoul  to  Won-san  wliich  we  followed  from  Sar-pang  Kori  for 
two  days  to  Sang-nang  Dung,  where  we  branched  off  for  the 
region  known  as  Keum-Kang  San,  or  the  Diamond  Mountain. 
Ihe  earlier  part  of  this  route  was  through  wooded  valleys 
where  lilies  of  the  valley  carpeted  the  ground,  and  over  the 
very  pretty  pass  of  Chyu-pha  (1,300  feet),  on  the  top  of  which 
IS  a   large   spirit  shrine,   containing   some  coarsely  painted 
pictures  of  men  who  look  like  Chinese  generals,  the  usual  of- 
ferings of  old  shoes,  lags,  and  infinitesimal  portions  of  rice 
and  a  tablet  inscribed,  "I,  the  spirit  Song-an-chi,  dwell  in 
this  place."     There,  as  at  the  various  trees  hung  with  rags 
and  the  heaps  of  stones  on  the  tops  of  passes,  the  mapu  bowed 
and  expectorated,  as  is  customary  at  the  abodes  of  daemons. 

More  than  once  we  passed  not  far  from  houses  outside  of 
which  the  mutang  or  sorceress,  with  much  feasting,  beating  of 
drums,  and  clashing  of  cymbals,  was  exercising  the  d^raon 
w.i!ch  had  caused  the  sickness  of  some  person  within      Por- 
tions of  the  expensive  feast  prepared  on  these  occasions  are 
offered  to  the  evil  spirit,  and  after  the  exorcism  part  of  the 
food  so  offered  is  given  to  the  patient,  in  the  belief  that  it  is  a 
curative  medicine,  often  seriously  aggravating  the  disease,  as 
when  a  patient  suffering  from  typhoid  fever  or  dysentery  is 
stuffed  with  pork  or  kimshi  /    Recently  a  case  c,  me  under  the 
notice  of  Dr.  Jaisohn  {So  Chat  pil)  in  Seoul,  in  which  a  man, 
suffering  from  the  latter  malady,  died  immediately  after  eating 
raw  turnips,  given  him  by  the  mutang  after  being  offered  to 
the  demons  at  the  usual  feast  at  the  ceremony  of  exorcism 

There  is  much  wet  rice  along  the  route,  as  well  as  dry  rice, 
with  a  double  line  of  beans  between  every  two  rows,  and  in 
the  rice  revel  and  croak  large  frogs  of  extreme  beauty,  vivid 
green  with  black  velvet  spots,  the  under  side  of  the  legs  and 
bodies  being  cardinal  red.  These  appeared  to  be  the  prey  of 
the  graceful  white  and  pink  ibis,  the  latter  in  the  intensified 
Hush  of  his  spring  coloring. 
A  descent  from  a  second  pass  leads  to  the  Keum-San  Kang, 


«t.'i.  jiiXl 


130 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


a  largish  liver  in  a  rich  agricultural  region,  and  to  the  village 
of  Pan-pyong,  where  they  weic  making  in  the  rudest  fashion 
the  great  cast-iron  pots  used  for  boiling  horse  food,  from  iron 
obtained  and  smelted  33  //  farther  north. 

On  two  successive  days  there  were  tremendous  thimder- 
storms,  the  second  succeeded,  just  as  we  were  at  the  head  of  a 
wild  glen,  by  a  brief  tornado,  which   nearly  blew  over  the 
ponies,  and  snapped  trees  of  some  size  as  though  they  h.t  ! 
been  matchwood.     Then  came  a  profound  calm.     The  clouds 
lay  banked  in  pink  illuminated  masses  on  a  sky  of  tender 
green,   rleft    by  gray  mountain    peaks.     Mountain  torrents 
boomed,  crashed,  sparkled,  and  foamed,  the  silent  wo(./ls  re- 
joiced the  eye  by  the  vividness  of  their  greenery  and  their 
masses  of  white  and  yellow  blossom,  and  sweet  heavy  odors 
enriched  the  evening  air.     On  that  and  several  other  occasions, 
I  recognized  that  Korea  has  its  own  special  beauties,  which  fix 
themselves  in  the  memory ;  but  they  must  be  sought  for  in 
spring  and  autumn,  and  off  the  beaten  track.     Dirty  and 
squalid  as  the  villages  are,  at  a  little  distance  their  deep-eaved 
brown  roofs,  massed  among  orchards,  on  gentle  slopes,  or  on 
the  banks  of  sparkling  streams,  add  color  and  life  to  the 
scenery,  and  men  in  their  queer  white  clothes  and  dress  hats, 
with  their  firm  tread,  and  bundled-up  women,  with  a  shoggling 
walk  and  long  staffs,  brought  round  with  a  semicircular  swing 
at  every  step,  are  adjuncts  which  one  would  not  willingly  dis- 
pense with. 

Before  reaching  the  Paik-yang  Kang,  a  broad,  full  river,  an 
affluent  of  the  northern  Han,  with  singularly  abrupt  turns 
and  perpendicular  cliffs  of  a  formation  resembling  that  of  the 
Palisades  on  the  Hudson  River,  we  crossed  one  of  the  great 
lava  fields  described  by  Consul  Carles.* 

This,  which  we  crossed  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  is  a 
rough  oval  about  40  miles  by  30,  a  tableland,  in  fact,  sur- 

' "  Recent  Journeys  in  Korea,"  Proceedings  0/ the  Royal  Geographical 
Society,  May,  1896. 


# 


The  Korean  Pony— Roads  and  Inns      131 

rounded  by  a  deep  chasm  where  the  torrents  which  encircle 
It  meet  the  mountains.     Its  plateaux  are  from  60  to  100  feet 
above  these  streams,   which  are  all  affluents  of  the  Hi„ 
and  are  supported  on  palisades  of  basalt,  exhibiting  the  pris- 
rnatic  columnar  formation  in  ;:;  very  ,Jriking  manner.     In  some 
places  the  lava,  which  is  oflf  .  covered  .ither  with  conglomerate 
or  a  stiffish  clay,  is  very  ne,r  :  ,e  surf- ,.e.  and  large  blocks  of 
"  lie  along  the  streams.     It  ••;  .,  mo'.=  fertile  tract,  and  could 
support  a  large  population,  b.;'  not  being  suited  for  rice   is 
very  little  cultivated,  and  grows  chiefly  oats,  njilkt,  and  beans 
which  are  not  affected  by  the  strong  winds.  ' 

There  are  two  Dolmens,  not  far  from  the  Paik-yang  Kang 
In  one  the  upper  stone  is  from  7  to  10  feet  long,  by  7  feei 
wide,  and  ,7  inches  deep,  resting  on  three  stones  4  feet  2 

Iftl  r  ^^'^  "^^^  '''^''  ''  '°™^^^^*  ^'"^"^^-    The  openings 
of  both  face  due  north.  ^ 

After  crossing  the  Paik-yang  Kang,  there  162  yards  wide 
and  16  feet  deep,  by  a  ferry  boat  of  remarkably  ingenious  con- 
struction rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  long  bridge 
over  the  broad  stream  was  in  ruins,  and  that  the  appropriation 
for  us  reconstruction  had  been  diverted  by  the  local  officials 
to  their  own  enrichment,  we  entered  the  spurs  or  ribs  of  the 
great  mountain  chain  which,  running  north  and  south,  divides 

H^VZX. "' ""'"''  '"''"'"^^  p"'°" ''  *^^  ^^^■ 

The  scenery  became  very  varied  and  pretty.  Forests 
clothed  rnany  of  the  hills  .ith  a  fair  blossoming  undergrowth 
untouched  by  the  fuel  gatherers'  remorseless  hook;  tor  en^ 

Irded  "    °T  ''r^'  '^^''  '"^^^  ^^^^^g^'  -  bubbled  and 
gu  g^d  out  of  sight;  the  little  patches  of  cultivation  were 

cal^fd  rotdT"'     n  T"  '^"  "^'^^''^^"^^'  -^  *he  tracks 
called  roads  were  little  better  than  the  stony  beds  of  streams. 

A    they  became  less  and  less  obvious,  and  the  valleys  more 

solitary  our  tergiversations  were  more  frequent  and  prolonged. 

the  mapu  drove  the  ponies  as  fast  as  they  could  walk,  the  ford 


l( 


i 


11  li; 


ii 


m 


1  ( 

;|fr 


'. 

iij'.i 

1'^  i 

; 

V 

• 

! 

ru 

M 

132 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


I 


were  many  and  deep,  and  two  of  the  party  were  unhorsed  in 
them,  still  we  hurried  on  faster  and  faster.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken,  but  I  knew  that  the  men  had  tiger  on  the  brain  / 

Blundering  through  the  twilight,  it  was  dark  when  we 
reached  the  lower  village  of  Ma-ri  Kei,  where  we  were  to  halt 
for  the  night,  two  miles  from  the  Pass  of  Tan-pa-Ryong,  which 
was  to  be  crossed  the  next  day.  There  the  villagers  could  not 
or  would  not  take  us  in.  They  said  they  had  neither  rice  nor 
beans,  which  may  have  been  true  so  late  in  the  spring.  How- 
ever, it  is,  or  then  was,  Korean  law  that  if  a  village  could 
not  entertain  travellers  it  must  convoy  them  to  the  next  halt- 
ing-place. 

The  mapti  were  frantic.     They  yelled  and  stormed  and 

banged  at  the  hovels,  and  succeeded  in  turning  out  four  sleepy 

peasants,  who  were  reinforced  by  four  more  a  little  farther  on ; 

but  the  torches  were  too  short,  and  after  sputtering  and  flaring' 

went  out  one  by  one,  and  the  fresh  ones  lighted  slowly.     The 

mapu  lost  their  reason.     They  thrashed  the  torchbearers  with 

their  heavy  sticks;  I  lashed  my  mapu  with  my  light  whip  for 

doing  it;  they  yelled,  they  danced.     Then  things  improved. 

Gloriously  glared  the  pine  knots  on  the  leaping  crystal  torrents 

that  we  forded,  reddening  the  white  clothes  of  the  men  and 

the  stony  track  and  the  warm-tinted  stems  of  the  pines,  and  so 

with  shouts  and  yells  and  waving  torches  we  passed  up  the 

wooded  glen  in  the  frosty  night  air,  under  a  firmament  of 

stars,  to  the  mountain  hamlet  of  upper  Ma-ri  Kei,  consisting 

of  five  hovels,  only  three  of  whicl".  were  inhabited. 

It  is  a  very  forlorn  place  and  very  poor,  and  it  was  an  hour 
before  my  party  of  eight  human  beings  and  four  ponies  were 
established  in  its  miserable  shelter,  though  even  that  was  wel- 
come after  being  eleven  hours  in  the  saddle. 


A 


CHAPTER  XI 

DIAMOND  MOUNTAIN  MONASTERIES 

TT  was  a  glorious  day  for  he  Pass  of  Tan-pa-Ryong  (1,320 
J.    feet  above  Ma-ri  Kei),  the  western  barrier  . .  the  Keum- 
Kang  San  region.     Mr.   Campbell,   of  H.B.M.'s   Consular 
i»ervice,  one  of  the  few  Europeans  who  has  crossed  it,  in  his 
charming  narrative  mentions  that  it  is  impassable  for  laden  ani- 
mals, and  engaged  porters  for  the  ascent,  but  though  the  track 
IS  nothing  better  than  a  torrent  bed  abounding  in  great  boul- 
ders, angular  and  shelving  rocks,  and  slippery  corrugations  of 
entangled  tree  roots,  I  rode  over  tiie  worst  part,  and  my  ponies 
made  nothing  of  carrying  the  baggage  up  the  rock  ladders. 
The  mountain-side  is  covered  with  luxuriant  and  odorous  vege- 
tation, specially  oak,  chestnut,   hawthorn,  varieties  of  maple 
pale  pink  azalea,  and  yellow  clematis,  interspersed  with  a  kw 
distorted  pines,  primulas  and  lilies  of  the  valley  covering  the 
mossy  ground.  ^ 

From  the  spirit  shrine  on  the  summit  a  lovely  panorama  un- 
folds Itself,  billows  of  hilly  woodland,  gleams  of  water,  wavy 
outlines  of  hills,  backed  by  a  jngged  mountain  wall,  attaining 
an  altitude  of  over  6,000  feet  in  the  loftiest  pinnacle  of  the 
Keum-Kang  San.     A  fair  land  of  promise,  truly !     But  this 
pass  IS  a  nibicon  to  him  who  seeks  the  Diamond  Mountain 
with  the  intention  of  immuring  himself  for  life  in  one  of  its 
many  monasteries.     For  its  name.  Tan-pa,  "crop-hair,"  was 
bestowed  on  it  early  in  the  history  of  Korean  Buddliism  for  a 
reason  which   remains.     There   those  who  have  chosen  the 
cbister  emphasize  their  abandonment  of  the  world  by  cutting 
off  the  ''topknot "  of  married  dignity,  or  the  heavy  braid  of 
bachelorhood. 


m 

m 


■I 


n 


I . 


H 


i  i  f 


'i\m 


t   Un 


133 


»34  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

The  eastern  descent  of  the  Tan-pa-Ry6ng  is  by  a  series  of 
zigzags,  through  woods  and  a  profusion  of  varied  and  magnifi- 
cent  ferns.     A  long  day  followed  of  ascents  and  descents, 
deep  fords  of  turbulent  streams,  valley  villages  with  terrace 
cultivation  of  buckwheat,  and  glimpses  of  gray  rock  needles 
through  pme  and  persimmon  groves,  and  in  the  late  afternoon, 
after  struggling  through  a  rough  ford  in  which  the  water  was 
halfway  up  the  sides  of  the  ponies,  we  entered  a  gorge  and 
struck  a  smooth,  broad,   well-made  road,   the  work  of  the 
monks,  which  traverses  a  fine  forest  of  pines  and  firs  above  a 
booming  torrent. 

Towards  evening   "The  hills  swung  open  to  the  light ": 
through  the  parting  branches  there  were  glimpses  of  granit^ 
walls  and  peaks  reddening  into  glory;  red  stems,  glowing  in 
he  slant  sunbeams,  lighted  up  the  blue  gloom  of  the  conifers ; 
there  were  glints  of  foam  from  the  loud-tongued  torrent  below 
the  dew  fell  heavily,  laden  with  aromatic  odors  of  pines,  and 
as  the  valley  narrowed  again  and  the  blue  shadows  fell  the 
picture  was  as  fair  as  one  could  hope  to  see.     The  monks, 
though  road-makers,  are  not  bridge-builders,  and  there  were 
difficult  fords  to  cross,  through  which  the  ponies  were  left  to 
struggle  by  themselves,  the  mapu  crossing  on  single  logs     In 
the  deep  water  I  discovered  that  its  temperature  was  almost 
icy.     The  worst  ford  is  at  the  point  where  the  first  view  of 
Chang-an  Sa,  the  Temple  of  Eternal  Rest,  the  oldest  of  the 
Keum-Kang  San  monasteries,  is  obtained,  a  great  pile  of  tern- 
pie  buildings  with  deep  curved  roofs,  in  a  glorious  situation, 
crowded  upon  a  small  g,    sy  plateau  in  one  of  the  narrowest 

^Ta-^  ^^^'^^'  ""''"^  ^'^^  mountains  fall  back  a  little  and 
afi-ord  Buddhism  a  peaceful  shelter,  secluded  from  the  outer 
world  by  snow  for  four  months  of  the  year. 

Crossing  the  torrent  and  passing  under  ^Xohy  Hon^-Sal- 
Mun  OT  "red  arrow  gate,"  significant  in  Korea  of  the  patron- 
age of  royalty,  we  were  at  once  among  the  Chang-an  Sa  build- 
ings, which  consist  of  temples  large  and  small,  a  stage  for 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  13^ 

religious  dramas,  bell  and  tablet  houses,  stables  for  the  ponies 
of  wayfarers,  cells,  dormitories,  and  a  refectory  for  the  abbo 
and  monks,  quarters  for  servants  and  neophytes,  huge  kitchens 

IZ  r?;"'  T'  '  """"^^^-      B-^es'thJe  there  a"; 
quarters  devoted  to  the  lame,  halt,  blind,  infirm,  and  solitary; 
to  widows,  orphans,  and  the  destitute. 
These  guests,  numbering  100,  seemed  well  treated      Be- 

ZreZt'  '''''"'''  '".^  ^'''  P'^'P^""^  ^°^  '^'  Fi^thood 

UD  To  e  'h^  '"  ""''  '"'  '°  """^  °'  ^"  ^S^^'  ^^°-  girlhood 
up  to  eighty-seven  years.     This  large  number  of  persons  is 

supported  by  the  rent  and  produce  of  Church  lands  outs  de 
the  mountains,  the  contributions  of  pilgrims  and  guests  the 

expeditions  even  up  to  the  gates  of  Seoul,  which  at  that  time 
"was  death  for  any  priest  to  enter,  and  benefactions  from  the 
late  Queen,  which  had  become  increasingly  liberal 

vard  on^"*,'"'"^'''''?"  °^  '•''  P^"'"""  ""'  '^''  '^  ^^^  ^  wood- 
yard  on  a  large  scale.     Great  logs  and  piles  of  planks  were 

heaped  under  the  stately  pines  and  under  a  superb'jj;^;^ 

JT^    "'.  V  ''''  "  '''''''    4°  carpenters  were  saw^nl 
planing  and  hammering,  and  40  or  jo  laborers  were  hau  n^ 
m  logs  to  the  music  of  a  wild  chant,  for  mendicant  effort  had 
been  resorted  to  energetically,  with  the  result  that  the  great 
Zfir  "'"'""'  "P""'  ''""'''  amounting  to  a  re'con 

JJ iTihl'T^"\7r'"'''''  '"^  "^""^^^'^  ^^""^«  which 
and  snnnl  "u  ^'""'''"'  ""'^^"^'"^  "^  picturesqueness 

and  supplying  it  with  a  religious  and  human  interest,  Chang-an 
Sa  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  specimen  of  the  three  largest  Is  it 
.s  undoubtedly  the  oldest,  assuming  the  correctness'o  'a  i  - 
tor  la,  record  quoted  by  Mr.  Campbell,  which  gives  the  date 
of  us  restoration  by  two  monks,  Yul-sa  and  Chin  h'yo,  as  a 7 
515,  in  the  reign  of  Pop-heung,  a  king  of  Silla.  then  the  mosi 
important  of  the  kingdoms,  afterwards  amalgamated  alKo'ea 
The  large  temple  is  a  fine  old  building  of  the  type  adapted 


I  '1  i 


ii '  ■  .■ 


|i|   ii 

'III 


it,  A 


PiW 


\lii 


Si  .! 


136  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

from  Chinese  Buddhist  architecture,  oblong,  with  a  heavy  tiled 
roof  48  feet  in  height,  with  wings,  deep  eaves  protecting 
masses  of  richly-colored  wood-carving.  The  lofty  reticulated 
roof  is  internally  supported  on  an  arrangement  of  heavy 
beams,  elaborately  carved  and  painted  in  rich  colors  The 
panels  of  the  doors,  which  serve  as  windows,  and  let  in  a 
"d.ni  religious  light,"  are  bold  fretwork,  decorated  in  colors 
enriched  with  gold. 

The  roofs  of  the  actual  shrines  are  supported  on  wooden 
pillars  3  feet  in  diameter,  formed  of  single  trees,  and   the 
panelled  ceilings  are  embellished  with  intricate  designs  in  col- 
ors and  gold.     In  one  Sakyamuni's  image,  with  a  distinctly 
Hindu  cast  of  r  juntenance,  and  a  look  of  ineffable  abstrac- 
tion, sits  under  a  highly  decorative  reticulated  wooden  canopy, 
with  an  altar  before  it,  on  which  are  brass  inconse  burners, 
books  of  prayer,  and  lists  of  those  deceased  persons  for  whose 
souls  masses  have  been  duly  paid  for.     Much  rich  brocado 
soiled  and  dusty,  and  many  gonfalons,  hang  round  this  shrine. 
The  "Hall  of  the  Four  Sages"  contains  three  Buddhas  in 
different  attitudes  of  abstraction   or  meditation,  a  picture 
wonderfully  worked  in  gold  and  silks  in  Chinese  embroidery' 
of  Buddha  and  his  disciples,  for  which  the  monks  claim  an 
antiquity  of  fourteen  centuries,  and  sixteen  Lohans,  with  their 
attendants.     Along  the  side  walls  are  a  host  of  daemons  and 
animals.     Another  striking  shrine  is  that  dedicated  to  the 
Lord  of  the  Buddhistic  Hell  and  his  ten  princes.     The  monks 
call  It  the  "  Temple  of  the  Ten  Judges."     This  is  a  shrine  of 
great  resort,  and  is  much  blackened  by  the  smoke  of  incense 
and  candles,  but  the  infernal  torments  depicted  in  the  pictures 
at  the  back  of  each  judge  are  only  too  conspicuous.     They 
are  horrible  beyond  conception,  and  show  a  diabolical  genius 
in  hellish  art,  akin  to  that  which  inspired  the  creation  of  the 
groups  in  the  Inferno  of  the  temple  of  Kwan-yin  at  Ting-hai 
on  Chusan,  familiar  to  some  of  my  readers. 
Besides  the  ecclesiastical  buildings  and'the  common  guest- 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  137 

room,  there  are  Governn.  ^nt  buildings  marked  with  the  Korean 
national  emblem,  for  the  use  of  officials  who  go  up  to  Chang- 
an  ba  for  pleasure. 

It  was  difficult  for  me  to  find  accommodation,  but  eventually 
a  very  pleasing  young  priest  of  high  rank  gave  up  his  cell  to 
me.     Unfortunately,  it  was  next  the  guests'  kitchen,  and  the 
flues  from  the  fires  passing  under  it,  I  was  baked  in  a  tempera- 
ture  of  91°,  although,  in  spite  of  warnings  about  tigers,  the 
dangers  from  which  are  by  no  means  imaginary,  I  kept  both 
door  and  window  open  all  night.     The  cell  h.d  for  its  furni- 
ure  a  shnne  of  Gautama  and  an  image  of  Kwan-yin  on  a 
shelf  and  a  few  books,  which  I  learned  were  Buddhist  classics, 
not  volumes,  as  in  a  cell  which  I  occupied  later,  full  of  pic- 
tures by  no  means  inculcating  holiness.     In  the  next  room, 
equally  hot,  and  without  a  chink  open  for  ventilation,  thirt^ 
guests  moaned  and  tossed  all  night,  a  single  candle  dimly 
I'ghting  a  picture  of  Buddha  and  the  dusty  and  hideous  orna- 
ments on  the  altar  below. 

A  9  P.M  midnight,  and  again  at  4  a.m.,  which  is  the  hour 
at  which  the  monks  rise,  bells  were  rung,  cymbals  and  gongs 
were  beaten,  and  the  praises  of  Buddha  were  chanted  in  an 
unknown  tongue.  A  feature  at  once  cheerful  and  cheerless  is 
the  presence  at  Chang-an  Sa  of  a  number  of  bright,  active, 
orphan  boys  from  ten  to  thirteen  years  old,  who  are  at  presen 
servitors,  but  who  will  one  day  become  priests 

It  IS  an  exercise  of  forbearance  to  abstain  from  writing  much 
abou  the  beaur.es  of  Chang-an  Sa  as  seen  in  two  days  of  per- 
f  ct  heavenliness.  It  is  a  calm  retreat,  that  small,  green, 
mjcircular  plateau  which  the  receding  hills  have  left  walling 
in  tl^  bade  a^d  sides  with  rocky  precipices  half  cloui.d  with 
forest,  while  the  bridgeless  torrent  in  front,  raging  and  thun- 
denn  ^uge  boulders  of  pink  granite,  sfcufdes  it  from 

reA  ''; V'^^^^'7"'"'-°"«-  Alike  in  the  rose  of  sunrise,  in  the 
red  and  gdd  of  sunset,  or  gleaming  steely  blue  in  the  prosaic 
gla.e  of  midday,  the  great  rock  peak  on  the  left  bank,  one  of 


hi 


m 


f  ?■ 


.Ml 
:    >l 


5  5 ' 


If 


,  t 


f:i 


138  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

the  highest  in  the  range,  compels  ceaseless  admiration      Th. 
appearance  of  its  huge  vertical  topmost  ribs  h  '5!  ^^I 

of  «,;  dis<al      a„J  took  ;  t"^  accompanying  me  for  par, 
^o^lng  ,he  range  .o  V„-„„„,  Sat^Crr:  J^ot'e" 

-PPl^e.^  by  .he  monks.  I  XTt^<^^,ZZ7r-  ^" 
ter  es  of  P'vn.i,n  c,      j  --.  ^®  '°  t"^  monas- 

for  the  erandes,  ,„^^  f  °.'"  "  *'  '■''^"''  "hich  passes 

the  rh  r  ^  ^"''^"'-     ^"o««  the  grand  gorge  through  which 
ridge  of  theKenl  ^       c  ^  °^  ^'■^'"'  '"''"  ^^e  central 

»  pro.es.  aga,ns.Kore^,lL:rr^S:^t 


it-.**  ">0;V"' 


hf^  "■^■^ 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  139 

number  of  peaks  is  probably  nearer  i..co  than  i.,ooo.    Their 
ye  low  granite  pmnacles,  weathered  into  silver  gay,  rose  up 

drape  the  r  lower  he.ghts-winter  above  and  summer  below- 

tw  l.ght  till  each  glowing  summit  died  out  as  lamps  which  are 
extinguished  one  by  one,  and  the  whole  took  on  the  ashy  hu" 

The  situation  of  P'yo-un  Sa  is  romantic,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  torren  ,  and  is  approached  by  a  bridge,  and  by  passing 
und  r  several   roofed  gateways.      The  monastery  had  be  n 
newly  rebudt,  and  is  one  mass  of  fretwork,  carvhig.  gilding 
and  color,  the  whole  decoration  being  the  work  of  tt  monks 

The  front  of  the  "Temple  of  the  Believing  Mind"  is  a 
magnificent  piece  of  bold  wood-carving,  the  L/  being  he 
IrJ'  .       7r'  °'  ""  '"''^'"^  -'^■^h  is  not  stone  of  tUe 

mal  be'h    H   "T'  "  '•"^'  "^'  "'^'^^'  g-"'  -d  gold 
^'  i'mnl  nf  tT'  '"' '!, ''  '"'"'^  ^P'^"^--     There  too  is 
BudJh.?.  °^  J"^^'"^"*'    ^'th  hideous  representations  of  the 

which  the  deeds  of  men's  mortal  lives  are  written. 
The  fifty  monks  of  P'yo-un  Sa  were  very  friendly,  and  not 

ZseT;":.    """f  '  ^"  *°  '"^  ^'« --"'^^  cell,  bu  rep  -d 
himself  for  the  sacrifice  b  -    .bulging  in  ceaseless  staring    The 

wind  bells  of  the  establish,  ent  and  the  big  bell  have  Tmelodv 

;"eHsTf  an"  "^'  ^^  '  '"^  '^'''^  ^^^^^'  -^  when  a  UA  m' 
th  n  s,  ep" ''Ze  tones  announced  that  ''prayer  is'bette; 
than  sleep,  there  was  nothmt  about  the  sounds  to  jar  on  the 
pu  e  freshness  of  morning.  The  monks  ar.  well  dressed  and 
jol  y,  and  have  a  well-to-do  air  which  clashes  wU      ny  pre 

s      tvi:  ""'"'"^   ^''  "^^  °^  *^-«  monasteriesTa 
strict  vegetarianism  which  allows  neither  milk  nor  eass  and 

mals.     Not  to  wound  the  prejudices  of  my  hosts,  I  lived  on 
tea,  rice,  honey  water,  edible  pine  nuts,  and  a  most  satisfying 


>     i 


I  I 


ii*!! 


■I. 

i 


1^:1 


ill? 


fi  I 


V.  r 


n 


'4°  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

monastery  grounds,  in  order  to  die  in  its  n  Zhr     T 

M  a  luxiirv     Tl,?  '  "  exported  in  quantities 

soon  are  'being  seieT  'tLT'  '"^  f '^'  =""  '""  """"^ 
Th,  1,..i  ■  !  "  ''"""^J'  '^  "'«>  locally  produced 

.he  roctae:  r"  ,""""''  ''""  '™  "-gather  in' cavh'sfn 

...orr„:nerXT„:'r::';:s^^^^^^^^^^ 

X^re^d'tetit^Tr  ^^  '-  '^  "^ ""- 

^n.  or  Seoul  gains  t^i.  fXlt'  rptZJ.  ^  H^^: 
conta  n,„g  shnnes  of   pi,grin,age,  for  most  Korea  s  despise 

Teh  rielrM  i'n"  Ko^n    ^J  't  ^'"'^7 '  '^^"''=" 
an,!  .v,„     -c  ^'"uc(i,   jagged,  and  inaccessibe  Deak<? 

.r  :.:^  r  Jti:,:;;  rt^  ^-'-"'  ^t  ■■•  ■-  "- 

Buddhism,  which   as  in  Tnn  P™'""^  °f   Kang-won. 

spots  in  Nltnre  i;^  i,"e^r.'„r"""  ■"""  °'  ""  f"''"' 
as  the  sivih  .J,  romantic  seclusion  as  early 

as  the  s,x.h  century  a.  a,  and  the  venerable  relics  of  the  time 


-t:?^'< 


■■^,v;.V* 


.11 
III 


THE  DIAMOND  MOUNTAINS. 


i   i! 


y  i  I;!  'I 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  141 

rult'ofTh/'""  r''  '' '"''  '^'  "^^'^'  ''  ^•*""  ''  I'^e  popular 
cult  of  the  country  are  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the  recesses  of 

so-called  pilgnms,  who  resort  to  the  shrines  to  indulge  in  Jiu- 
ho.,r,  ,  Korean  lera,  vvhid.  covers  plcasure-scekinf  Ih 
seang  the  indulgence  of  cuuosity.  and  n.uch  else     "     ' 

So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  there  are  onlv  two 
routes  by  which  the  Keun>-Kang  San  can  be  pc      ratd'  tl^ 
one  which,  after  following  the  bed  of  a  singularly  ro  gh  to 
which  the"     "■  T'^'"'^  ''  An-mun-chai    and'on  o'r  near 

tart^o^  ^:         "/"'  '"^  '"^^^"""^  P^^^-     ^°^h  routes 

Mrrreli^!  '°°  T"''  '"^  ^'""^  5°  nuns,  who  add  to 

iie^r  rehgious  exercises  the  weaving  of  .otton  and  iiempen  cloti> 

absou.       .re  than  300  of  the  whole  number.     AH  except  the 
gh  monastic  ..fficials  beg  through  tl.e  country,  Is  bo'w    . 
hand   the  only  distinctive  features  of  their  dress  being  a  verv 
peculiar  hat  and  the  rosarv     Th^,-     k     /  7     ,•  ^ 

o  A  AX.    c        ,  rubdry.      inej/   chant   the   1  tan  es  of 

Buddha  from  house  to  hou^      ,nH  ti,.  •         c        ,      ''''"'^^  ^^ 
(r.r.A  o„^  t  J  ■  ""  "^^'^  are  few  who  de      them 

food  and  lodging  and  a  few  cash  or  a  little  rice. 

''abbL'"-'T"-''  ""^T'^^^  °^^^  ^y  what  we  should  call 

abbots,    superiors  of  the  first  or  second  class  according  to 

the  importance  of  the  establishment.     These  Chon,  T'  d 

Taction.     Beyond   the  confirmation  of  tl,.    election    of  th^ 

.he  cl TZ         '     T  "««■»«' State  interference.     I„ 
>l>e  case  of  restoring  and  rebuilding  shrines,  large  sums  are 


II M 


'42  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

in  Rn  Mr'"  ^'°"'  '"^'  ''''  '""'''""  P^°^'"^^«'  ^^ough  faith 
in  Buddhism  as  a  creed  rarely  exists. 

On  rnaking  inquiries  through  Mr.  Miller  as  to  the  way  in 
wh.ch  the  number  of  monks  is  kept  up,  I  learned  that  the  m 
jonty  are  euher  orphans  or  children  whose  parents  have  gi"n 
them  to  the  monasteries  at  a  very  early  age  owing  to  povmy 
Ihese  are  more  or  less  educated  and  trained  by  the  monks' 
It  must  be  supposed  that  among  the  number  there  are  a  few 
who  escape  from  the  weariness  and  friction  of  secular'^e  imi 
a  reg.on  .n  which  seclusion  and  devotion  are  possTb  e      Of 
l>.s  type  was  the  pale  and  nueresting  young  priest    ho  gave  up 

^o^^^  ''  ""'^Tl  '''  ^"'  ^^°  '•'  accompa^elus 
to  Yu-chom  Sa,  one  of  whom  chanted  JVa  Mu  Ami  Ta/1 

rosary  for  each  ten  repetitions.     Mr.  Miller  asked  him  what 

^eaZ    buMf    "J"^'^r^'"^-ep,ied;  ..theyhav:no 
meaning    but   if  you  say  them  many  times  you  will  get  to 
heaven  better."     Then  he  gave  Mr.  Miller  the  ros    y  and 
aught  him  the  mystic  syllables,  saying,  .-Now,  yo    ke';  1  e 
beads,  say  the  words,  and  you  will  go  to  heaven."     Tml 
the  younger  pnests  several  seemed  in  earnest.     Others  make 
the  monasteries  (as  is  largely  the  case  with  the  celebmed 
shrines  of  Kwan-yin  on  the  Chinese  island  of  Pu-tu)  a  Xe 
from  justice  or  creditors,  some  remain  desiring  peac  ful  h  do 
ence,  and  not  a  few  are  vowed  and  tonsured  who  came  implv 

As  to  the  moribund  Buddhism  which  has  found  its  most  se- 
ret-at  in  these  mountains,  it  is  overlaid  with  dlono  . 
a  ry  and  like  that  of  China  is  smothered  under  a  host  0^. 
deified  heroes  Of  the  lofty  aims  and  aspirations  after  Hgl 
eousness  which  distinguish  the  great  reforming  sects  r.apan 
such  as  the  Monto,  it  knows  nothing.  '^    ' 

The  monks  are  grossly  ignorant  and  superstitious.     They 
know  nearly  nothing  of  the  history  and  tenets  of  their     'n 


< 
( 

a 
1( 

S 
n, 


1 


nianumd  Mountain  Monasteries  ,43 

cre«l,  or  of  ,he  purport  of  their  li„„„i«   „„,.,  , 

■»  .!«  mumbling  or  loud  i„.„    "™f  Sa^'"''  "'.f '"l'  ™sis„ 
of  tlie  meaning  of  wliich  il„.„  i,,  '  '  '■*""'  !''"">«, 

.ion  Of  most  „?  tl  e  ml  1  CI 'Z  ?k  '""T""'-    '^'>'  '"'I""' 

-  ab.oi„,.i,  without  :t:^'or  zt,  ri'T'-"' 

•niong  a  few,  does  not  exist      Th  T  '  ''^'"^f'  ^''"P' 

>.«  .0  .hem  gross  p,„,"cy      "^,'^°'""""--ally  at.riL 
of  the  large  monasteriJir  '"""=  "'  "■'»':l'  '<  one 

b«  hetween  .h  r  "ma  ti^  'T''""'  ""' '"  "^'^"""^ "-re 
order  and  quie.:i7t'l":f  T'T'  »-rou„dings,  the 
and  destitute,  who  fiM  a  pl™l  '!;','''""*''-  '"  ">e  old 
Ihe  main  their  courtesy  anH^r.  •*'.""'  """'  """"'  """  '■> 
™ie  .hat  the,  exercil^'^a  " Im  '""''  '  ""  '^°"'P'"=-'  ">  "* 
•o  remember  their"  tue,  raTe  ,  ""ir""?'  "'"  '"«  '  P'^'" 
<l.i«  go  on.  to  them  for  hei    "  '  "'  ''"'"■     ^y  sympa- 

for  .he  way  in  wb"h Te  i^  ^H-""  "' "'f  ^'"•'"''  ="<' 
exceeding  picturesqueness  of  .h-  ''^."""">  Mature  by  the 
their  shrines.  ""'  Po^'""".  ""d  decoration  of 

i.  -^.'yTe  X'msX!?  ?■'"»"■  «^-  "^«  "  -nes, 

this,  in  romantic  posWons""  T  T""'""  "'™"-  Along 
Sa,  Ma-ha-ly-a„  s'a  ^^  Y„ "  'Ts^'h  ■"r^'"'"''>-"° 
•n-aller  shrines,  with  from  ,„„,  f  '  "^"^'^  "  """ber  of 
especially,  Po-t^a,^  f;™edTc:,  d  ToV""""'"  '''"'  °"' 
beyond  description_a  hmZ\T,  f  ™°-y'".  piCuresque 

of  a  cliff,  a.  r  heigh'  of    o"  i  et"*    .'"'"  °"  f'"""  ""  ''« 
«n.re  by  a  pillar,  round  which  ,'■  ,        "i''''"""''  '«'°»'  'he 
and  an  A,nj>Lj>s,  S„W  IM""""'"*  "'"'^  "^'^a.is, 
ieafage,  had  ent inedltSs'h"  ;::;r  ""*  "'  "^  ''""^ 
Sa.  Vo^XTgh't^X:::^ C'^'^r  "-■  Chang.. 
->..wo,o„gpo4Jtha%:l:-t:iLT^^^^^ 


fs 


* '.  *I 


I 

1 

■ 

1 

1  :^r| 

M't  ■ 

..     m  ■ 

i 

rm 

14^1-  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

of  rope  for  the  feet,  and  light  uprights  bound  together  with  a 
wistaria  rope  to  support  tiie  back,  can  be  used,  but  the  occu- 
pant of  the  chair  has  to  walk  much  of  the  way. 

The  torrent  bed  contracts  above  Chang-an'sa,  opens  out 
here  and  there,  and  above  P'yo-un  Sa  narrows  into  a  gash,  only 
opening  out  again  at  the  foot  of  the  An-niun-chai.     Surely  the 
beauty  of  that  ii  miles  is  not  much  exceeded  anywhere  on 
earth.     Colossal  cliffs,  upbearing  mountains,  forests,  and  gray 
gleaming  peaks,  rifted  to  give  roothold  to  pines  and  maples 
ofttimes  contracting  till  the  blue  heaven  above  is  narrowed  to 
a  strip,  boulders  of  pink  granite  40  and  50  feet  high,  pines  on 
their  crests  and  ferns  and  lilies  in  their  crevices,  round  which 
the  clear  waters  swirl,  before  sliding  down  over  smooth  sur- 
faces of  pink  granite  to  rest  awhile  in  deep  pink  pools  where 
they  take  a  more  brilliant  than  an  emerald  green  with  the  flash- 
ing lustre  of  a  diamond—rocks  and  ledges  over  which  the  crys- 
tal stream  dashes  in  drifts  of  foam,  shelving  rock  surfaces  on 
which  the  decorative  Chinese  characters,  the  laborious  work 
of  pilgrims,  afford  the  only  foothold,  slides,  steeper  still,  made 
passable  for  determined  climbers  by  holes,  drilled  by  the  monks 
and  fitted  with  pegs  and  rails,  rocks  with  bas-reliefs,  or  small 
shrines  of  Buddha  draped  with  flowering  trailers,  a  cliff  with 
a  bas-relief  of  Buddha,  45  feet  high  on  a  pedestal  30  feet  broad 
rocks  carved  into  lanterns  and  altars,  whose  harsh  outlines  are 
softened  by  mosses  and  lichens,  and  above,  huge  timber  and 
fantastic  peaks  rising  into 

The  summer  heaven's  delicious  blue. 
A  description  can  be  only  a  catalogue.     The  actuality  was  in- 
toxicating, a  canyon  on  the  grandest  scale,  with  every  element 
of  beauty  present. 

This  route  cannot  be  traversed  in  European  shoes.  In  Korean 
string  foot-gear,  however,  I  never  slipped  once.  There  was 
much  jumping  from  boulder  to  boulder,  much  winding  round 
rocky  projections,  clinging  to  their  irregularities  with  scarcely 
foothold,  and  one's  back  to  the  torrent  far  below,  and  much 


r 

ii 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  ,4^ 

of  the  torrent  bed  hll™   "^ '"''  '°  ''""  ""  '"«■:''"!« 

*c,..eHa:t^olrt::r.:::-:^:\=r;^^^^^^^ 

normal  rock  and  pool,  such  as  the  mUi  w      ,  ,' 

figure  of  Buddha  referred  ,„  t,.r  *'  '"'^  colossal 

bed  of  the  stream  tr'ah^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

sattva,  the  Fire  Dragon  p!ol       7u    !     ""^  "'^'^'^^'  ^°d'"'- 

in  the'  fantaslfc  Z;oti"^^^^^^^^^^ 

and  the  Lion  Stone  which  reneS^^  ^'''''''^' 

nese  invaders  in  159.  ^'"'"^  '^"  ^'^"^"^^  °^  ^^e  Japa- 

^^'^:^:::t:::::^  sr  ^-^^  i-^es  wider  and 

the  s,y,  and'final,,  le^    ^g    Js'^L^^^^^^^^^^ 

the  open  grassy  summit  of  the  An  mun  cZ  ,1"  "^  '° 

pears,  cherries  bln.h  .,.1  !  """"-chai,  on  which  plums, 

streamers  of  the  erav  „rL„   r      ,  v  ""^  <'«P«"<l=nt 

.hey  are  festooUjirfte  ^irt'"  ^'f^'*'"'''  ""'='■ 
the  peculiar  fringed  hlZ  T         ""''''  ='P="-     Of  'l^is 

by  both  monl  Id  1       Aftf  ""'"'.  "'  ""  °"  °--'°" 


■;; 


ill 


:U 


,*mmis^. — i-..*=^ 


146 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


The  great  monastery  of  Yu-chom  Sa,  with  its  many  curved 
roofs  and  general  look  of  newness  and  wealth,  is  approached 
by  crossing  a  very  tolerable  bridge.  The  road,  which  passes 
through  a  well-kept  burial-ground,  where  the  ashes  of  the 
pious  and  learned  abbots  of  several  centuries  repose  under 
more  or  less  stately  monuments,  was  much  encumbered  near 
the  monastery  by  great  pine  logs  newly  hewn  for  its  restora- 
tion, which  was  being  carried  out  on  a  very  expensive  scale. 

The  monks  made  a  difficulty  about  receiving  us,  and  it  was 
not  till  after  some  delay,  and  the  production  of  my  kwan-ja, 
that  we  were  allotted  rooms  in  the  Government  buildings  for 
the  two  days  of  our  halt.  After  this  small  difficulty,  they  were 
unusually  kind  and  friendly,  and  one  of  the  young  priests,  who 
came  over  the  An-mun-chai  with  us,  offered  Mr.  Miller  the 
use  of  his  cell  on  Sunday,  saying  that  "  it  would  be  a  quieter 
place  than  the  great  room  to  study  his  belief"  ! 

I  had  hoped  for  rest  and  quiet  on  the  following  day,  having 
had  rather  a  hard  week,  but  tliese  were  unattainable.     Besides 
70  monks  and   20  nuns,  there  were  nearly  200  lay  servitors 
and  carpenters,  and  all  were  bent  upon  kit-kyong,  the  first 
European  woman  to  visit  the  Keum-Kang  San  being  regarded 
as  a  great  sight,  and  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night  there 
was  no  rest.     The  kang  floor  of  my  room  being  heated  from 
the  kitchen,  it  was  too  hot  to  exist  with  the  paper  front  closed, 
and  the  crowds  of  monks,  nuns,  and  servitors,  finishing  with 
the  carpenters,  who  crowded  in  whenever  it  was  opened,  and 
hung  there  hour  after  hour,  nearly  suffocated   me,  the  day 
being  very  warm.     The  abbot  and  several  senior  monks  dis- 
cussed with  Mr.   Miller  the  merits  of  rival  creeds,  saying  that 
the  only  difference  between  Buddhists  and  ourselves  is  that 
they  don't  kill  even  the  smallest  insect,  while  we  disregard 
what  we  call  '« animal  life,"  and  that  we  don't  look  upon 
monasticism  and  other  forms  of  asceticism  as  means  of  salva- 
tion.    They  admitted  that  among  their  priests  there  are  more 
who  live  in  known  sin  than  strivers  after  righteousness. 


1              1'       ! 

j;      -]■: 


h   J 


if 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  147 

There  are  many  brigin  busy  boys  about  Yu-clmm  Qo   „     . 

had  no,   Che  o,,.,  gave  a  piece  of  chicken,  bul  he  refused^ 

old  sneak  of  a  pnest  lold  Inim  that  it  was  all  risht  to  eat  i,  „ 

!^zz  T  "'■■"•  "r  '"= ""'  '"''''^'  in  his'x  r 

and  ,h    H  ^    ;  ^°"'*  ""'''""«'  ''y  ""^  ''"o™  of 'he  great  bell 

fourteenH""  'T'"'  '"="'  ""  *'^''"'=  P'«^  "^  ^=>^«"«  of  ,l,e 
ower  oy  itself.  A  dim  paper  lantern  on  a  dustv  rafter  bareW 
gh  e    up  .„e  white-robed  figure  of  the  devoteef  a        cS 

■he  bell,  cha„,n.g  m  a  most  musical  voice  a  San  crit  litanv  ^r 

:  n  Co?  "^  T  TT''  '"'-'"^  *=  ''osrofrie 

Then  ir        r      •'"  ""  ''"'  '°-     "'■'f  ="  ho"  passed  thus 
circled  the  bell  with  a  greater  and  ever-increasini?  m«i„'  „r 

?::![  fsiu  :'':;?:;^i°:trf"'''"^ '^  ^"*'^'"^  ^  ^"-" 

seizins  th.  c  ^^^"'""'^^'■^  "foment  exhausted.  Then. 

wo     fn  td "r  "^'    ""'  '"  ^'"^^  ^""  ^°"-  -'^i'^h  end  th 
worship,  and  which  are  produced  by  striking  the  bell  on  the 

and  down  .evai^^r:;::";^^;:^^ 

youiig  monk's  sinceri', .  7  ha-.e  not  one  doubt  '' 

;vhrr!  !    "r '"  "'"  ^''''  '''''^''  "  ^^^*  "  chamber  of  ima^jerv  " 
Where  a  so  itarv  mrmi-  ^  h  .-,f»^  i,  r  ""'•fetrry, 

from  a  «ni;t        ,         '  ^  ^^^^  ^^^"""^  ^"  ^Itar  in  the  light 

.%ht  ,e/t  cave.,!:  ^. :;',: ;  r:,^- ,;^',^» 

which  eves  and  tpt^th   ,.,^  ,  lerapie,   from 

eyes  and  teeth,  weapons,  and  arms  and  legs  of  other- 


h 


148 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


'i    ? 


wise  invisible  gods  and  devils  sliowed  uncannily.  Behind  the 
altar  is  a  rude  and  monstrous  piece  of  wood-carving  represent- 
ing the  upturned  roots  of  a  tree,  among  which  fifty-three  idols 
are  sitting  and  standing.  As  well  by  daylight  as  in  the  dim- 
ness of  midnight,  there  are  an  uncouthness  and  power  about 
this  gigantic  representation  which  are  very  impressive.  Beiow 
the  carving  are  three  frightful  dragons,  on  whose  faces  the  artist 
has  contrived  to  impress  an  expression  of  torture  and  defeat. 

The  legend  of  the  altar-piece  runs  thus.  When  fifty-three 
priests  come  to  Korea  from  India  to  introduce  Buddhism,  they 
reached  this  place,  and  being  weary,  sat  down  by  a  wel!  under 
a  spreading  tree.  Presently  three  dragons  came  up  from  the 
well  and  began  a  combat  with  the  Buddhists,  in  the  course  of 
which  they  called  up  a  great  wind  which  tore  up  the  tree. 
Not  to  be  out-manceuvred,  each  priest  placed  an  image  of  Bud- 
dha on  a  root  of  the  tree,  turning  it  into  an  altar.  Finally, 
the  priests  overcome  the  dragons,  forced  them  into  the  well, 
and  piled  great  rocks  on  ihe  top  of  it  to  keep  them  there, 
founded  the  monastery,  and  built  this  temple  over  the  dragons' 
grave.  On  either  side  of  this  unique  altar-piece  is  a  bouquet 
of  peonies  4  feet  wide  by  10  feet  high. 

The  "private  apartments  "  of  this  and  the  other  monasteries 
consist  of  a  living  room,  and  very  small  single  cells,  each  with 
thr  shrine  of  its  occupant,  and  all  very  clean.  It  must  be  re- 
membered, however,  that  this  easy,  peaceful,  luxurious  life 
only  lasts  for  a  part  of  the  year,  and  that  all  but  a  few  of  the 
monks  must  make  an  annual  tramp,  wallet  and  begging-bowl 
in  hand,  over  rough,  miry,  or  dusty  Korean  roads,  put  up 
with  vile  and  dirty  accommodation,  beg  for  their  living  from 
those  who  scorn  their  tonsure  and  their  creed,  and  receive 
"low  talk  "  from  the  lowest  in  the  land. 

Just  before  we  left,  the  old  abbot  invited  us  into  his  very 
charming  suite  of  rooms,  anO  with  graceful  hospitality  pre- 
pared a  repast  for  us  with  his  own  hands — square  cakes  of  rich 
oily  pine  nuts  glued   together  with  honey,  thin  cakes  of 


<( 


Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries  ,49 

'popped"  rice  and  honey,  sweet  cake  CUin.. 

por.n,e„,,  contrast  very  favorably  with  .he  f "o^^ce  le  " 

for  a  short  distance.  ""  ""^  ""'^^  accompanying  us 

leads'dow^Tte*  ,""  *"=  '^  '"^  "^"-""^^  -"  »'-,, 
ios  oown  to  the  large  monastery  of  Sin-livei  S,    ..  .1 

northeast  foot  of  the  Keum-Kang  San   «  efH  f  v 

^^oniders  a„'rm^°L^r:— rrt::x^^^^^^ 
^teX:  ca„r f:  r  r^'  -{-f -  =2 


(ft 


II     ^i 


CHAPTER  XII 


ALONG  THE  COAST 

/^N  leaving  Chang-an  Sa  for  Won-san  we  retraced  our  route 
V^    as  far  as  Kal-ron-gi,  and  afterwards  crossed  the  Mak-pai 
Pass,  from  which  there  is  a  grand  view  of  the  Keum-Kang  San. 
Much  of  a  somewhat  tedious  day  was  spent  in  crossing  a  roll- 
ing elevated  plateau  bordered  by  high  denuded  hills,  on  which 
the  potatoe  flourishes  at  a  height  of  2,500  feet.     The  soil  is 
very  fertile,  but  not  being  suited  to  rice,  is  very  little  occupied 
Crossing  the  Sai-kal-chai,  2,200  feet  in  altitude,  the  infamous 
road  descends  on  a  beautiful  alluvial  valley,  a  rich  farming 
country,  sprinkled  with  hamlets  and  surrounded  by  pretty  hills 
wooded  with  scrub  oak,  whicli  in  the  spring  is  very  largely 
used  for  fertilizing  rice  fields.     The  branches  are  laid  on  the 
inundated  surface  till  the  leaves  rot  off,  and  they  are  then  re- 
moved  for  fuel.     In   this   innocent-looking  valley  the   tiger 
scare  was  in  full  force.     A  tiger,  the  people  said,  had  carried 
off  a  woman  the  previous  week,  and  a  dog  and  pig  the  pre- 
vious night.     It  seemed  incredible,  yet  there  was  a  consensus 
of  evidence.     Tigers  are  occasionally  trapped  in  that  region 
by  baiting  a  pit  with  a  dog  or  pig,  and  the  ensnared  animal  is 
destroyed  by  poison  or  hunger  to  avoid  injury  to  the  skin 
which,  if  It  is  that  of  a  fine  animal,  is  very  valuable. 

A  man  is  not  the  least  ashamed  of  saying  that  he  has  not 
nerve  or  pluck  for  tiger-hunting,  which  in  Korea  is  a  danger- 
ous game,  for  the  hunters  are  stationed  at  the  head  of  a  gorge, 
usually  behind  brushwood,  and  sometimes  behind  rocks,  the 
big  game,  tigers  and  leopards,  being  driven  up  towards  them  by 

150 


Along  the  Coast 


»5i 

large  bodies  of  men.  When  one  realizes  that  the  arms  used 
are  matchlocks  lighted  by  slow  matches  from  cords  wound 
round  the  arm  and  that  the  charge  consists  of  three  imper- 
fectly  rounded  balls  the  size  of  a  pea,  and  that,  owing  to  the 
thickness  of  the  screen  behind  which  the  hunters  are  posted,  the 
game  is  only  sighted  when  quite  close  upon  them,  one  ceases  to 
wonder  at  the  reluctance  of  the  village  peasants  to  turn  out  in 
pursuit  of  a  man-eater,  even  though  the  bones  bring  a  very  high 
price  as  Chinese  medicine.  verynign 

We  put  up  at  the  only  inn  in  the  region.  It  had  no  "  clean 
room,  but  the  landlord's  wife  gave  up  hers  to  me  on  con- 
dition that  I  would  not  keep  the  door  open  for  fear  of  a  tiger. 
The  temperature  was  93°,  and  to  secure  a  little  ventilation  and 
yet  keep  my  promise,  I  tore  the  paper  off  the  lattice-work  of 
the  door.  Mr.  Miller  described  his  circumstances  thus  "  I 
wanted  to  sleep  in  the  yard,  but  the  host  would  not  let  me  for 
fear  of  tigers,  sol  had  to  sleep  in  a  room  8  feet  by  10  "  (with 
a  hot  floor),  -with  seven  other  men,  a  cat,  and  a  bird.     By 

from  death  by  suffocation,  and  could  have  had  a  good  night's 

kthe'n  "  Th''  TUT'  '""  "°^^^^^  '"^°  ^-  ^^^l'«  -  the 
kitchen  1  hey  found  their  quarters  so  close  that  they  squealed 
kicked  bit,  and  fought  all  night,  and  their  drivers  helped  them 
o  make  night  hideous  by  their  yelling."  Nobody  slept,  and 
I  had  my  Ml  share  of  the  unrest  and  disturbance,  a  bad 
preparation  for  an  eleven  hours'  ride  on  the  next  day  which 
was  fiercely    ot,  as  were  the  remaining  six  days  of  the  jLurnly 

at  Chvnn!  T  I  u'''  ^'^er-haunted  valley  to  the  sea  level 
at  Chyung-Tai  is  for  the  most  part  through  valleys  very  sparsely 
peopled.  Much  forest  land,  however,  was  being  cleared  for 
the  planting  of  cotton,  and  the  peasant  farmers  are  energetic 
enough  to  carry  their  cultivation  to  a  height  of  2,000  feet 
[On  nearly  the  whole  of  this  journey  I  estimated  that  the  land 
IS  capable  of  supporting  double  its  present  population.]  At 
Hoa-chung,  a  prettily  situated  market-place,  a  student  who 


m 


!    i 


I'M    '■• 

V' 
m  ; 


■;  (' 


;  I  .  s  1  JJ 


»52 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Hi 


had  successfully  passed  the  literary  examination  at  the  Kwa^^a 
in  Seoul,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  in  bright  colored  festive 
clothing,   was  celebrating  his  return   by  sacrificing  at  his 
father's  grave.     On  the  various  roads  there  were  many  proces- 
sions escorting  village  students  home  from  the  great  competi- 
tion   in  the  Royal   presence  at   the  capital,  the  student  in 
colored  clothes,    on  a  gaily-caparisoned  horse  or  ass,  with 
music  and  flags  in  front  of  him,  and  friends,  gaily  dressed, 
walking  beside  him.     On  approaching  his  village  he  was  met 
with   flags  and  music,  the  headman  and  villagers,  even  the 
women  in  gay  apparel,  going  out  to  welcome  him.     After  this 
success  he  ;vas  entitled  to  erect  a  tall  pole,  with  a  painted 
dragon   upon  it,  in  front  of  his  house.     Success  was,  how- 
ever, very  costly,  and  often  hung  the  millstone  of  debt  round 
a  man's  neck  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.     After  "  passing  " 
the  student  became  .r!i^,ible  for  official  position,  the  sole  object 
of  ambition  to  an  "   ,;  i  .u.ed  "  Korean. 

At  Hoa-chun-  v.     ,   ,:,  d  eastwards,  and  took  the  main  road 
to  the  coast,  attains..!  ;ia  altitude  (uncorrected)  of  3,117  feet 
by  continued  ascents  over  rounded  hills,  which,  when  not  ab- 
solutely bare  except  for  coarse,  unlovely  grasses,  only  produced 
stunted  hazel  bush.     After  this  an  easy  ascent  among  abso- 
lutely denuded  hills  leads  up  to  a  spirit  shrine  of  more  than 
usual  importance,  crowded  with  the  customary  worthless  ex 
votos  rags  and  old  straw  shoes.     At  that  point  the  road  makes 
an  altogether  unexpected  and  surprising  plunge  over  the  bare 
shoulders  of  a  bare  hill  into  Paradise  ! 

This  pass  of  the  "Ninety-nine  Turns,"  Tchyu-Chi-chang, 
deserves  its  name,  the  number  of  sharp  zigzags  not  being  ex- 
aggerated, as  in  the  case  of  the  "Twelve  Thousand  Peaks  " 
It  IS  so  absolutely  rocky,  and  so  difficult  in  consequence,  that 
It  IS  rnore  passable  in  snow  than  in  summer.  Its  abrupt  turns 
lead  down  a  forest-clothed  mountain  ridge  into  a  magnificent 
gorge,  densely  wooded  w^h  oak,  Spanish  chestnut,  weeping 
lime,  Abies  excelsa,  and  magnolia,  looped  together  with  the 


( 
( 
a 
r 
a 
ti 
f( 


Along  the  Coast 


i 


'f3 

half  .„e  toad  coding  <,„„„  „p„„  a  ^m  '       ..  !l  tw' 

TTfihi      '"■'«°'"'"8  ""■gnolia,  syrmga,  and  roses.         * 
1  he  filthy,  miserab  e  hamlet  of  f 'hv,,.,™  t  • 

far  as  they  are  kept  on,  by  big  stones     Thlt      .    ,       ' 
.be  ntonntains  Is  aLyai  ierv!,:^  Ide'^L'^"^:  ^7^,: 
of  th,s  dynasty,  who  bufit  stone  walls  ronnd  the  U  gertj" 

places    .reTr  '°  "°""  ^'  ^"^""^-T"''  ""  '"  ""x  °'"er 
places,  the  extreme  voracity  of  the  Koreans.     They  eat  not 

o  satisfy  hunger,  b„t  to  enjoy  the  sensation  of  teple  L     C 

atn.ng  for  this  enjoyment  begins  at  a  very  early  l"s  I  Id 

several  opportunities  of  observinn      A  ,„„,i      /  f  ,' 

child  with  rice,  and  when  't  can  ^-^  "«"'>"  f'=^*l«'- young 

position,  lays  it'on  its  back  : , ^e"  lap  a"„°d  3  '",  ""  "''"«'" 

s;rh-^-:~S?S^?- 
anTsatT'set::^'  ;Hrrb:;.r'  t'-  ^^""'''  ^"  «*■ 

- --  a  day,  b„t  ^^T^J^Zril^a 


ii 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


Itt 
tu 

u 

IK 
IB 


IU£ 


2.5 
2.2 


1^ 

I3j6 

iM    HZO 


1-25  iu 


1.6 


150mm 


-    4' 


*/ 


*} 


/IPPLIED^  IIVUGE .  Inc 

JBS  1653  East  Main  Street 
J^sr^  Rochester,  NY  14609  USA 
.ssr^  Phone:  716/482-0300 
•3^.^SS  Fax:  716/288-5989 

O  1993.  ApplWd  lm«g«.  Inc  .  AH  Rigtits  Rcswvod 


^V 


\ 


i\^ 


<\ 


^ 


^o"^ 


r 

o 


r* 


54 


Korea  and  Hor  Neighbors 


M 


In  this  respect  of  voracity  all  classes  are  alike.     The  great 
merit  of  a  meal  is  not  so  much  quality  as  quantity,  and  from 
infancy  onwards  one  object  in  life  is  to  give  the  stomach  as 
much  capacity  and  elasticity  as  is  possible,  so  that  four  pounds 
<iLiJ?e  jlajlyjiiay.  not  incommodejt.     People  in  easy  circum- 
stances drink  wine  and  eat  great  quantities  of  fruit,  nuts,  and 
confectionery  in  the  intervals  between  meals,  yet  are  as  ready 
to  tackle  the  next  food  as  thougli  they  had  been  starving  for  a 
week.     In  well-to-do  houses  beef  and  dog  are  served  on  large 
trenchers,  and  as  each  guest  has  his  separate  table,  a  host  can 
show  generosity  to  this  or  that  special  friend  without  helping 
others  to  more  than  is  necessary.     Lbikve  seen  Koreans  eat 
more  than  three  pounds  of  solid  meat  atiuie  mfigl.     I^rge  as 
a  "  |)ortion  "  is,  it  is  not  unusual  to  see  a  Korean  eat  three  and 
even  four,  and  where  people  abstain  from  these  excesses  it 
may  generally  be  assumed  that  they  are  too  poor  to  indulge  in 
them.     It  is  quite  common  to  see  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
peaches  or  small  melons  disappear  at  a  single  sitting,  and  with- 
out being  peeled.     There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  enormous 
consumption  of  red  pepper,  which  is  supplied  even  to  infants, 
helps  this  gluttonous  style  of  eating.      It  is  not  surprising 
that  dyspepsia  and  kindred  evils  are  very  common  among 
Koreans. 

The  Korean  is  omnivorous.  D()£  meat  is  jp  jrrpnt  request  at 
certain  seasons^  and  dogs  are  extensively  bred  for  the  table. 
Pork,  beef,  fish,  raw,  dried,  and  salted,  the  intestines  of 
animals,  all  birds  and  game,  no  part  being  rejected,  are  eaten 
— a  baked  fowl,  with  its  head,  claws,  and  interior  intact,  being 
the  equivalent  of  "the  fatted  calf."  Cooking  is  not  always 
essentia).  On  the  Han  I  saw  men  taking  fish  off  the  hook, 
and  after  plunging  them  into  a  pot  of  red  pepper  sauce,  eating 
them  at  once  with  their  bones.  Wheat,  barley,  maize,  millet, 
the  Irish  and  sweet  potato,  oats,  peas,  beans,  rice,  radishes, 
turnips,  herbs,  and  wild  leaves  and  roots  innumerable,  sea- 
weed, shrimps,  pastry  made  of  flour,  sugar,  and  oil,  khnshi, 


Along  the  Coast 


^SS 


on  the  mak.ng  of  which  the  whole  female  p.,,.;,Ia..un  c.f  the 
muche  and  lower  classes  is  er.gaged  in  Noven.l,er.  a  home- 
mac  e  verm.celh  of  buckwheat  flour  and  white  of  e.g,  huKdv 
made  „p  ,nto  a  broth,  soups,  dried  persimmons,  sponge-cakes 
cakes  of  the  edible  pine  nut  and  honey,  of  floul,  s.fgar  and 
.esamum  seeds,  onions,  garlic,  lily  bulbs,  chestnuts.  L\  very 
much  else  are  eaten.  Oil  of  sesamun,  is  largely  nse.l  in  cook- 
•ng.  as  we  1  as  vinegar,  soy,  and  other  sauces  of  pungent  and 
objectionable  odors,  the  basis  of  most  of  them  being  capsicun  .^ 
and  fermented  rotten  beans !  e     i  - 

The  magistracy  of  Thong-chhon.  where  we  halted  the  next 

Jutely  suforaft„tr,  is  a  town  sheltered  from  the  sea.  which  is 

double  fold  of  hdls  remarkable  for  the  artistic  naLal  group- 
mg  of  very  grand  pines.  * 

At  this  point  a  spell  of  the  most  severe  heat  of  the  year  set 
"",  and  the  remainder  of  the  journey  was  accomplisl,ed  in  a 
trmperature  ranging  from  89  >  to  ,00°  in  the  shade,  and  sel- 
dom  fallmg  below  80-  at  night,  phenomenal  heat  for  the  first 
days  of  June.     Takmg  advantage  of  it,  the  whole  male  popu- 
at.on  was  ,n  the  fields  rice  planting.     Rice  valleys,  reaching 
he  unusual  magnitude  for  Korea  of  from  3  to  7  miles  in 
breadth,  and  from  6  to  ,4  miles  in  length,  sloping  gently  to 
tl  e  sea,  with  mnumerable  villages  on  tl:e  slopes  of  the  hills 
wh.ch  surround  them,  were  numerous.     Among  them  I  saw 
for  the  only  tmie  reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water  for  irriga- 
tion.    The  pndc  .b,s  and  the  spotted  green  frog  were  abundant 
everywhere.     The  country  there  has  a  look  of  passable  pros- 
perity, but  the  people  are  kept  at  a  low  level  by  official  exac- 

On  this  coast  of  Kong-w6n-Do  are  the  P'al-kyong  or  "  Eight 

of  Xm      T    r  "'rt '''"''  '■"  ^^^^^-     ^^^'p--«  'vo 
of  them.     Su-chuPg  Dai  (The  Place  Between  the  Waters)  is  a 

narrow  strip  of  elevated  white  sand  with  the  long  roll  of  the 


1 1  i\ 


w 


i   m 


i    Ml 

I 


•i'-' 


■  ■■  >    i*,iih*ii| 


.56 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Pacific  on  the  east,  and  the  gentle  plash  of  a  lovely  fresh-water 
lake  on  the  west.     This  lake  of  Ma-cha  Tong,  the  only  body 
of  fresh  water  which  I  saw  in  Korea,  about  6  miles  in  length 
by  2  in  breadth,  has  mountainous  shores  much  broken  by  bays 
and  inlets,  at  the  head  of  each  of  which  is  a  village  half  hid- 
den among  trees  in  the  folds  of  the  hills,  while  wooded  conical 
islets  break  the  mirror  of  the  surface.     On  the  white  barrier 
of  sand  there  are  some  fine  specimens  of  the  red-stemmed 
Pinus  sy/vesttis,  with  a  carpet  of  dwarf  crimson  roses  and 
pnik  lilies.     Among  the  mountain  forests  are  leopards,  tigers, 
and  deer,  and  the  call  of  the  pheasant  and  tlic  cooing  of  the 
wdd  dove  floated  sweetly  from  the  lake  shore.     It  was  an  idyll 
of  peace  and  beauty.     The  other  of  the  "  P:ight  Views"  is 
rather  a  curiosity  than  a  beauty,  miles  of  cream-colored  sand 
blown  up  in  wavy  billows  as  high  as  the  plumy  tops  of  thou- 
sands of  fir  trees  wliich  are  helplessly  embedded  in  it. 

During  the  long  hot  ride  of  eleven  hours,  visions  of  the 
evening  halt  at  a  peaceful  village  on  the  seashore  filled  my 
mind,  and  hope  made  the  toilsome  climb  over  several  promon- 
tories of  black  basalt  tolerable,  even  though  the  descents  wer 
'iO  steep  that  the  fn,t/>u  held  tiie  ponies  up  by  their  tails !     > 
the  early  twiijglu,  when  the  fierce  sun  blaze  was  over,  in  the 
smoky  redness  of  a  healed  evening  atmosphere,  when  every 
rock  was  giving  forth  the  heat  it  had  absorbed  in  the  day, 
across  the  stream  which  is  at  once  the  outlet  of  She  lake  and 
the  boundary  between  the  provinces  of  Kang-won  and  Hara- 
gyong,  appeared  a  large,  straggling,  gray-roofed  village,  above 
high-water  mark,  on  a  beach  of  white  sand.     Several  fishing 
junks  were   lying   in   shelter  at   the   mouth   of  the   stream. 
Women  were  beating  clothes  and  drawing  water,  and  children 
and  dogs  were  rolling  over  each  other  on  the  sand,  all  more  or 
less  idealized  by  being  silhouetted  in  purple  against  the  hot. 
lurid  sky. 

As  the  enchantment  of  distance  faded  and  f  ^a-cha  TOng 
revealed  itself  in  plain  prose,  fading  from  purple  into  sober 


'li        M 


mtumii 


Aiong  the  Coast  ,  .^ 

gray,  the  ideal  of  a  romantic  halt  by  the  m.r..  «,        •  u    , 

erated   into  an  open  sewer,  down  which  thirt  „r         T 

The  inn,  if  i„„  i,  ^3,  g^„  „^  ^  _ 

Z  th'        ',  '?'■■    '"^''■■*''''  f"  «  »-  "«  family  l„"t 
.ron  shoes  of  ploughs  ,  ,d  spaUes,  Unulle,  of  fou    nlsJI' 

from  my  rL  and  -  m  """"""  '"'""'•'"g  wswan.ed 

-« into  .^vo  i„' r;  rc  t  c  „  ^'t*  '■:!'  """"'"^  "^'f^- 

vcraln  which  revel  ••^1,,!,.'"'       »' cockroaches  and 
over  mv  M  IT  J;  ""'  '°  ''«"''  "'  "«•  "^'ch  ran 


«l 


r(| 


12 


■58 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


f 


i 


•  r-    ;- 


of  travelling,  some  of  it  very  severe  and  comfortless,  that 
night  stands  out  as  hideously  memorablr. 

The  raisff/t  tfi'/re  of  Ma-cha  long,  and  the  numerous  coast 
villages  which  exist  wherever  a  convenient  shore  and  a  protec- 
tion for  boals  occur  togetlier,  is  the  coast  fishing.  The  fact 
that  a  floating  population  of  over  8,000  Japanese  fishermen 
make  a  living  by  fishing  on  the  coast  near  Fusan  shows  that 
there  is  a  redundant  harvest  to  be  reaped.  The  Korean  fisii- 
erman  is  credited  with  utter  want  of  enterprise,  and  Mr. 
Oiesen,  in  the  Customs'  report  for  Wonsan  for  1891,  accuses 
him  of  "remaining  content  with  such  fish  as  will  run  into 
crudely  and  easily  constructed  traps,  set  out  along  the  shore, 
which  only  require  attention  for  an  hour  or  so  each  day."  I 
must,  however,  say  that  each  village  that  I  passed  possessed 
from  seven  to  twelve  fishing  junks,  which  were  kept  at  sea. 
They  are  unseaworthy  boats,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  they 
hug  the  shore.  I  believe  that  the  fishing  industry,  with  every 
other,  is  paralyzed  by  the  complete  insecurity  of  the  earnings 
of  labor  and  by  the  exactions  of  officials,  and  that  the  Korean 
fisherman  does  not  care  to  earn  money  of  which  he  will  surely 
be  deprived  on  any  or  no  pretence,  and  that,  along  with  the 
members  of  the  industrial  classes  generally,  be  seeks  the  pro- 
tection of  poverty. 

The  fish  taken  on  this  coast,  when  salted  and  dried,  find 
their  way  by  boat  to  Won-san,  and  from  thence  over  central 
Korea,  but  in  winter  pedlars  carry  them  directly  inland  from 
the  fishing  villages.  Salterns  on  the  plan  of  those  often  seen 
in  China  occur  frequently  near  the  villages.  The  oi^eration  of 
making  salt  from  sea  water  is  absolutely  primitive,  and  so  rough 
and  dirty  that  the  whiteness  of  the  coarse  product  which  re- 
sults is  an  astonishment.  In  spite  of  heavy  losses  and  heavier 
"  squeezings,"  this  industry,  which  is  carried  on  from  May  to 
October,  is  a  profitable  one. 

The  road  beyond  tliat  noisome  halting-place  traverses  pic- 
turesque country  for  many  miles,  being  cut  out  of  the  sides  of 


Along  the  Coast 


"ow  on  dizzy  preci,  ic«     I'T       V    "^'  '^'•""  '"  "«  "*»• 

«a  'vns  green  a,„i    iole,nLT,f  1  "'•*'''■'  "'.'''«''■     '''"« 
l"."s  and  brmvn  «L  L  '       ,      ,"     "  ""'""'K  '«'"'»  "i"'  Bray 

'o  38  fee.,  are  nnknown'on  .1    eas  Z,       ""'■""''  '"""  '^ 
•..gl.  and  l„.v  „a,er  Wing  wi.^:,!  ^   .'e^^"  """"°"  '-"'«" 

It  was  the  Iiottest  div  nf  .1 
"■.  preuiiy  .i,„a.S  iTrtolrif  s""  "  "T  '°""""*=  "•"' 
cl.  ..,  inn,  in  „|,icl,  it  «n,  „     ^       *^°"""  ''"''  ="  "^"  "'"f 
,■>»';.  and  .0  ge.  a  goo^;     .  :r*;:;;'*;/  '^^  —day 
herbs,  sauces,  ami  rice   for  .1,.  c       '  ,   '"'  ''^'^  ^^^'^  vegetables, 
also,  being  tiie  m  rket  .bv  Mr  r.,    '""  ^""^^  ^«'^-     '^'-^^ 

fine  fit  uXlS  ;,;f  "1  ^'^";'^  ^'^'•"  -•'''  ^  -erve  of 
sand  n^ounds  1,0!,';,"'"^  ''^"'  "^  ^^^  '^  "-^-  great 
reached  at  sunset  .?  ^^  "  '""''"  ^^  '^-''  - 

lage  of  nine  houses,  of  Sh  '"'  '"^"'''^''>'  ^''"'^'^^  vil- 
to  the  general  rule  we  w  f  °"?  '"'  '"  '""  ^^'^"^'  -""'^ary 
nine  families  at  S"  J     ""'^^"^^  The 

boats.  '^"'  ^'•^^^^««^^'  seven  good-sized  fishing 

TM  inn  is  Of  unusual  construction.     There  is  a  broad  .ud 

-ithout  paying  for  ,.  „,' ,    ,     '  ,  ^^''J     ^  '-;  ^^  -ery.hing  he  can  get 
e'gners.  led  ,0  „,ore  or  Jess  umv  li!  "  "•"'"'"•'''  '"^'""''  "^  for- 

the  .«./«  having  to  cons    e  .he  ^       f  T'  '''  ""'"■^  "'^ '"  "-"^  ■''--. 
P"cc  for  all  r  go,  and  that  cvcninVr'"?"*'' '''''•'' '^^^ 
window  I  paid  for  it  I  "  "^'''"  ^  """^  '^  *heet  of  paper  from  the 


m 


l6o  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

platform  of  which  fireplaces  and  utensils  for  cooking  for  nun 
and  beast  occupy  one  half,  and  the  other  .s  matted  for  sleeping 
and  eating.  My  room,  which  had  no  window,  but  was  clean 
and  plastered,  opened  on  this,  and  as  the  mercury  was  at  i . . 
umil  3  A.  M.  ow?ng  to  the  heated  floor.  1  sat  at  the  door  nearly 
all  night,  so  the  dawn  and  an  early  start,  and  the  coolness  of 
the  green  and  violet  shades  of  the  almost  r.ppleless  ocean 
which  laved  its  varied  shore  of  bays,  promontories,  and  lofty 
rliffs  were  very  welcome.  . 

A  valley  opening  on  the  sea  which  it  took  five  hours  to  sk.rt 
and  cross,  covered  with  grain  and  newly  planted  nee.  .s  liter- 
ally fringid  with  villages,  which  look  comfortably  prosperous 
in  spite  of  exactions.     A  smaller  valley  contains  abou   3.000 
a  res  of  rice  land  only,  and  on  the  slopes  surrounding  all  the«. 
are  rich  lands,  bearing  heavy  crops  of  wheat,  millet,  barley, 
cotton,  tobacco,  castor  oil.  sesamum,  oats,  turn.i)S,  peas  beans, 
:„d  pitatoes.     The  ponies  are  larger  and  better  kepn^^ 
region,  and  the  red  bulls  are  of  immense  sue.     1  he  black  p.g, 
ho'wev;r.  is  as  small  and  mean  as  ever.     The  crops  were  clea^ 
and  the  vice  dykes  and  irrigation  channels  well  kept.     Good 
and  honest  government  would  create  as  happy  and  prosperous 
a  people  as  the  traveller  finds  in  Japan,  the  sod  being  very 
similar,  while  Korea  has  a  far  better  climate. 

D^ing  the  land  journey  from  Chang-an  Sa  to  Won^n 
had  better  opportunities  of  seeing  the  agricultural  methods  of 
tl^  KoreansTan  in  the  valleys  of  the  Han.     As  compared 
wUh  the  exquisite  neatness  of  the  Japanese  and  the  diligen 
hriftiness  of  the  Chinese.  Korean  agriculture  is  to  some  exten 
la     ful  and  untidy.     Weeds  are  not  kept  down  in  the  summer 
Is  they  ought  to  be.  stones  are  often  left  on  the  ground   and 
there  La  raggedness  about  the  margins  of  fields  and  dykes 
and  a  dilapidaUon  about  stone  walls  which  is  unpleasing  to  the 
e.    The  paths  through  the  fields  are  apt  to  be  much  worn 
and  fringed  with  weeds,  and  the  furrows  are  not  so  straight  as 
they  might  be.    Yet  on  the  whole  the  cultivation  is  much  bet- 


Alorif;  the  Coast 


(er  and  llie 


i6i 


M,o^  „r  &„„,  ,„j'X,  d    '   IT":'  ""I"  '"  ""  ""Si- 
ceding  toili.y  very  „„,e„„,,l,"     '  '"  """'"  '"  "' 

«  unknown  „  eal,l^°      , ,"''7'''  ""^'"^''  ^^P""'  »« 
'ice,  Which  i,  .he      ';.":,  k'„T' E  "  T"  "''"^'^  "" 
lands,  two  crop,  a  year  are  rli^-jH        ^      ■"  ""  """'"  "« 
""  Korea,  the  rice  W,/„,i'°''*''°"' ""''"' ^"''«>"'h- 
planted  from  theTur^ti^  if:"",  '•"  .^''"^'  ">'  ™""  •"".- 
harvested  early  inXo^r     p     ^^  "  '""''"  '"  '"'y-  »"'  ■> 
barley  or  rye  is  "ow" „t L      "  ""«"'""''  »  "'""S'-'l  and 
"«  "ex.  y«r.  af  er  whS  Lr'"  ,'"  i""'  "  '""  J""'  "f 
plough«i  while  fl^ri  atdX  h"   !'  '"•  ""  "  "  "«"'" 
of  ••  dnmps,"  two  or  fonr  „  '  '"  "'  °"' '"  ""» 

Where  only  „„.  "ro!   "raiTe.  T  ""  """"  '"'  '  """™P" 
the  end  of 'oc.oberTu   he^^o  T  "'"  ""  '■'"'°''  ''""' 

or  rye  fields  ,he  sowi  g  '  i  "ocZr  alfi  .k"'."""'-  ■«'"" 
or  June,  after  which  beans  L?  7' ,  ""  *"'""  '•"  "")' 
Along  the  "great  roa^-'i!!'  '"<' °"«"'8«aUes  are  sown, 
vated  watch-sheds  a°  tcte,  tr^u"""''''  "'«"«'■  •■«- 
depredations.  The  cr"^  on  .1  ^  ?'  °'  ""'*""'"' "«""« 
-^rid  be  imtnense  were  it  „o.  f  .'  ''  '"  '">"  *"'-  ^"d 
■naterial.  "  °""  '"  "»  Pa"city  of  fertilising 

'he  furrows  the  reve  J  way'  „  ours  !  ",:^"'  "'"^''  """» 
•hod  with  iron,  is  largely  „L^f°r  ""^'"  'P"""''  "■» 
excites  the  ridicule  of  foreSnf  "''  ":"''•  ^his,  which 
Po-'er,  is  furnished  wi.h  seS  °  *""'"°''=  '"''''  °'  "«" 
each  of  which  i,  jerW  bTa  „^  'op«  a,,,^^^^  ,^  ^^^ 

•he  blade  in.o  the  Z^,d  L  ,,^7  ""l'''  """•"    «"'"  «"«« 
P-en^arethesarrXCrntrdXtet^'- 


M', 


»  -: 


ii' 


Jill 


l62  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

;„  use  in  China,  an.l  which  in  ihe  hands  of  the  eastern 
ZZi  Us  the  place  of  shovel,  hoe.  and  spade  a  rc.ap.ng 
CI  short  UnL.  a  barrow,  and  a  bamboo  rake  wh.ch  .. 
larcelv  used  in  the  denudation  of  the  hdls. 

Grain   peas.  .n<l  beans  are  threshed  ont  with  flads  as  often 
as  no    n  tCoadway  of  a  village,  while  the  grind.ng  of  flour 
!^.d  U.e  iu^ling  of  rice  are  accomplished  by  the  stone  quern 
.d      e  T'e  or  wooden  mortar,  with  an  .ron  ,>estle  worked 
^^ir  foot,  the  ..,-.-/•  or.  as  has  been  pre.^^^^^^^ 
.iLcribed.  by  a  "  «/«A"  or  water  «'/"«A'-«-       1^'*^^."        TZ 
by  b^'b!;  the  ears  over  a  board,  and  all  grain  .s  w.nnowed  by 
being  thrown  up  in  the  wind.  ;.  j„„- !»« 

The  oony  is  not  nsed  in  agricnltnre.    Ploughing  .  done  by 
the  LS,  noble,  tractable.  Korean  bull,  a  cane  rrng  placed 
'  huTo^rils  when  young  rendering  hint  ""-^-^ ? -','^''f. 

tM^th'e  hill^  and  P"''-/- ^^^^i  .^^^ 

:ra:rb"rrtUtear:n:ip^r.^'produreand 

Zis  the  loads  being  adjusted  evenly  on  -»<>-  J"  J 
Ldte  or  in  the  case  of  small  articles  in  pann.ers  of  plaited 
suaw ";  net  d  rope.  In  the  latter,  ingeniously  mad.  to  open 
n.  Uttom  and  discharge  their  contents,  manure  ,s  earned 
t  the  fields.  Both  bulls  and  l«.nies  are  shod  w,th  .ron.  The 
'X  car's  from  .60  to  aoo  ll».    Sore  back,  are  lamentably 

'"TrLed  of  pigs  is  very  small.  Pigs  are  always  blacU  and 
loahtmeThe'r'bristles  stand  up  along  their  backs,  and  they 
areTan  active,  and  of  specially  revolting  habits.    The  dogs 

cature    the   Scotch   collie  in  thetr  aspect.    The  fowls 


Alonj.  tl„.  c„,,„ 


'f'3 


plelxjian,  and  for  wildness   ir»i«;i.,        i 

-••inallcl  i„  n,,ex,j;r;r     t^'k  "are'rr  "'  """'  "' 

Korea  are  re^rved  f„,  R„;     ^   ,„,  .  '  '^^I,;"""  "-'  '" 
"MM  million  oi,  lalile,  in  S,. .      ,      ."'■"=  »:™wnan, 

"Bricullnre  are  usnall,.  orL    ,  1         ,'""*  """'•"'"'"  ''^ 
liasly  iraveller  passe,  lliro  1- ,  I    ''  ■     "    '  """"=  "'"''■  'I" 

.l.«e,  nearly  every  ho2  1  '  '"'"r"""  "'  ""=  '»"<'•     '" 

f.«l  can  J  Ob  In  r"  7""^''  """  '"  """'  »  »l>'cl, 
village,  „l,ich  ca"  «,  ,  'S"«  "  """  1--I"!.  «".!  .I,c 
f««-     The  fact  ll,at  U  e  la  ^  '"  "'  ""  "'  """  "« 

.v«a,nnc„rrec.:.t:x:;;;i.:r^^^^^^^^ 

ru".o„,  ga.e-,o»er,,  a  larg^  c  i,       ,t  '"""'''"'  '"" 

ernmen,  l„nl,li„g,  a,e  .vc  I  ke  7'an  '"""'"  "'"'  ""'"  "■"■ 
">  sinking  conL.  to  It' te  ,'"'  '"  "^'  '""'"■  '" 
The  "main  sireei"  ,.    .  l«"<'"sly  seen  on  the  ronle. 

The  .ow,:    as  a  ;.  J  i,  '"r"'  """""«  b„.  a  dirly  alley. 

-m.  paper  from  .,  e  Z^    ;:^rT'T'  "'"""'  ''  ■""■" 
Khool,,  and  exchanL-es  2^  ""■■/'-/>y-/,ra,  and  ha,  several 

'"»vonl,y  „f  iis  posiii^,  „,  iLitZHf  I  ;:,"',  '?  "'"*"'■" 
province  of  Hara-cvSnir     n„,  •  i      ,  '"^  P''"="  '"  "" 

remarkably  broad  rfv7bedbt-H"  '"'  ""^  """«  ' 
dilapidated  that  ts/I  '        '"'«'  '"  '"'  '""g.  «> 

•ods  several  til       """'"  ""'  "■=''  '«'  "■""g"  i«  rollen 

sa'r.t"-SCd^zro;ir ;";' "''•'-  ^--  ''™- 

«dio,i,  ride  through  11,11,^     1.        *""'""'  "  '  '°"S  »"'' 

full  of  graves.    wt^:t'^^^  .ZTl! r'  "'"*  "°«" 

u  liigius  mere  at  a  very  noisy  and 


if' 


i     * 


Ifii 


ri 


I :'!!'!! 


164 


Korea  ami  H«r  Neighbors 


I  ' 


II 


1 1 


tlisagrceal)Ic  inn,  in  which  privacy  wm  unattainable  and  the 
vermin  were  appalling.  There  the  host  was  specially  unwill- 
ing to  take  in  foreigners,  on  the  ground  that  we  should  not 
pay,  a  suspicion  which  irritated  our  friendly  »m/»//,  who 
vociferated  at  the  top  of  their  voices  that  we  paid  "  even  for 
the  smallest  things  we  got."  The  swinging  season  was  at  hand, 
each  amusement  having  its  defmite  date  for  beginning  and 
ending,  and  in  every  village  swings  were  being  erected  on  tall 
straight  poles.  Wong  could  never  resist  the  temptation  of 
taking  a  swing,  which  always  amused  the  iieople. 

At  this  inn  there  were  some  musical  jKjrformers  who  made 
both  night  and  day  wearisome  to  me,  but  gave  great  pleasure 
to  others.  I  have  not  previously  mentioned  my  sufferings  on 
the  Han  from  the  sounds  produced  by  itinerant  musicians,  and 
by  the  tnutanf[  or  sorceress  and  her  coadjutors ;  but,  as  has 
been  forcibly  brought  out  in  a  paper  on  Korean  music  by  Mr. 
Hulbert  in  the  Korean  Repository,^  the  sounds  are  peculiar 
and  unpleasing,  because  we  neither  know  nor  feel  what  they 
are  intended  to  express,  and  we  bring  to  Korean  music  not  the 
Korean  temperament  and  training  but  the  Western,  which  de- 
mands'•  time  "  as  an  essential.  It  maybe  added  that  the 
Koreans,  like  their  neighbors  the  Japanese,  love  our  music  as 
little  as  we  love  theirs,  and  for  the  same  reason,  that  the  ideas 
we  express  by  it  are  unfamiliar  to  them. 

One  reason  of  the  afflictive  and  discordant  sounds  is  that 
the  gamut  of  Korea  differs  from  the  musical  scale  of  European 
countries,  with  the  result  that  whenever  music  seems  to  be 
trembling  on  the  verge  of  a  harmony,  a  discord  assails  the  ear. 
The  musical  instruments  are  many,  but  they  are  not  carefully 
finished.  Among  instruments  of  percussion  are  drums,  cym- 
bals, gongs,  and  a  species  of  castanet.  For  wind  instruments 
there  are  unkeyed  bugles,  flutes,  and  long  and  short  trumpets; 
and  the  stringed  instruments  are  a  large  guitar,  a  twenty-five 
stringed  guitar,  a  mandolin,  and  a  five-stringed  violin.    The 

>  February,  1896. 


ti 


Along  the  Coast 


165 


of  S       •"  ""°"  "  "'  "'"""■«  »""  ^'-"S  of  ".«  8al« 
There  are  three  daw.  of  Korean  v,K:al  n,,«ic,  the  first  beint 

^M   hat  ,  e  ha.  quavered  leg  enough  „,x,n  on.  note      n  e 

tu    '  "    '::  "T"-  "'"'.  "  ""'  l-y  "-  Korean.  ,0  require 

•ucl,  long  an.l  patienl  practise  that  onlyihc  dancinir  irirl.  .-.n 

xcel  ,„  „  a,  they  alone  have  leisure  to  cul  ivaf  T  O^ 

banch  of  ,t  deals  with  convivial  song,,  of  o  e  of  whic"  I 

The  Korean.  pri«,ned  during  the  winter  in  his  small  dart 
d.r.,,.„d  n,alodorou,  rooms,  with  neither  .  glolg'nrlid; 

•    I 

Twas  years  ago  that  Kim  and  I 
Struck  hands  and  swore,  however  dry 
The  lip  might  be  or  sad  the  heart, 
Tlic  merry  wine  should  have  no  part 
In  niitigating  sorrow's  blow 
Or  (juenching  thirst.     Twas  long  ago. 

II 
And  now  I've  reached  the  flood-tide  mark 
Of  life  ;  the  ebb  begins,  and  dark 
The  fuiu.c  lowers.     The  tide  of  wine 
VV.II  never  ebb.     Twill  aye  be  mine 
10  mourn  the  desecrated  fane 
Where  that  lost  pletlge  of  youth  lies  slain. 

Ill 
Nay.  nay,  begone!     The  jocun.l  bowl 
Agam  shall  Iwlster  up  my  soul 
Against  itself.     What,  good-man,  hold ! 
C  anst  tell  me  where  red  wine  is  sold  ? 
Nay.  just  beyond  that  peach  tree  liiere  ? 
Good  luck  be  thine.  Ml  thither  fare. 


11) 
jt'l 


[=^ 


»^ 


h 


■  I  I 


166 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


nor  brilliant  lamp  to  mitigate  the  gloom,  welcomes  spring  with 
lively  excitement,  and  demands  music  and  song  as  its  natural  ac- 
companiment— song  that  shall  express  the  emancipation,  bieath- 
ing  space,  and  unalloyed  physical  pleasure  which  have  no  coun- 
terpart in  our  English  feelings.     Thus  a  classical  song  runs : — 

The  willow  catkin  bears  the  vernal  blush  of  summer's  dawn 

When  winter's  night  is  done; 
The  oriole,  who  preens  herself  aloft  on  swaying  bough, 

Is  summer's  harbinger ; 
The  butterfly,  with  noiseless  fiil-fiil  of  her  pulsing  wing, 

Marks  off  the  summer  hour. 
Quick,  boy,  thy  zither !     Do  its  strings  accord  ?     'Tis  well. 

Strike  up !     /  must  have  song. 

The  second  style  of  Korean  vocal  music  is  the  Ha  CKi  or 
popular.  The  most  conspicuous  song  in  this  class  is  the  A-ra- 
riing,  of  782  verses.  If  is  said  that  the  A-ra-riini[  holds  to  the 
Korean  in  music  the  same  place  that  rice  does  in  his  food — 
all  else  being  a  mere  appendage.  The  tune,  but  with  the  trills 
and  quavers,  of  which  there  are  one  or  two  to  each  note,  left 
out,  is  given  here,  though  Mr.  Hulbert,  to  whom  I  am  greatly 
indebted,  calls  it  "  a  very  weak  attempt  to  score  it." 


:^^S^^^illMf=l-IJr:e^ 


A  -  ro-rting     a  -  ra-riing 


ra  -  n  -  o  -  • 


a-  ra-rung 


mn  - 


pai  ddi-o  -   ra.  Mun-gyuugaai-cbai  pnk-tala-n. 


ta      na  -  kau  -  da. 


-    houg-do-kai  puu<;-niaing-i 

The  chorus  of  A-rariins;  is  invariable,  but  the  verses  which 
are  sung  in  connection  with  it  take  a  wide  range  through  the 
fields  of  lyrics,  epics,  and  didactics. 

There  is  a  rhird  style,  which  is  between  the  classical  and 
the  popular,  but  which  hardly  deserves  mention. 


mmmmmm 


^'^smtmemm 


Along  the  Coast 


167 


To  my  thinking,  the  melancholy  which  seems  the  mofi/of 
most  Oriental  mrsic  becomes  an  extreme  plaintiveness  in  that 
of  Korea,  partly  due  probably  to  the  unlimited  quavering  on 
one  note.  While  what  may  be  called  concerted  music  is 
torture  to  a  Western  ear,  solos  on  the  flute  ofttimes  combine  a 
singular  sweetness  with  their  mournfulness  and  suggest  "  Far 
off  Melodies."  Love  songs  are  popular,  and  there  is  a  tender 
grace  about  some  of  them,  as  well  as  an  occasional  glint  of 
humor,  as  indicated  by  the  last  line  of  the  third  stanza  of  one 
translated  by  Mr.  Gale.'    The  all-.ions  to  Nature  generally 

>  LOVE  SONvi 

Farewell's  a  fire  that  burns  one's  heart, 

And  tears  are  rains  that  quench  in  part, 

But  then  the  winds  blow  in  one's  sighs. 

And  cause  the  flames  again  to  rise. 

My  soul  I've  mixed  up  with  the  wine. 
And  now  my  love  is  drinking, 
Into  his  orifices  nine 
Deep  down  its  spirit's  sinking. 
To  keep  him  true  to  me  and  mine, 
A  potent  mixture  is  the  wine. 
Silvery  moon  and  frosty  air, 
Eve  and  dawn  are  meeting; 
Widowed  wild  goose  flying  there. 
Hear  my  words  of  greeting! 
On  your  journey  should  you  see 
Him  I  love  so  broken-hearted, 
Kindly  say  this  word  for  me, 
That  it's  death  when  we  are  parted. 
Flapping  oflF  the  wild  goose  clambers, 
Says  she  will  if  she  remembers. 

Fill  the  ink-stone,  bring  the  water. 
To  my  love  I'll  write  a  letter; 
Ink  and  paper  soon  will  see 
T!ie  one  that's  all  the  world  to  me. 
While  the  pen  and  I  together, 
Left  behind,  condole  each  other. 


1^ 


m 


i'ii 


I  -i 


II 


>:^l 


fin 


i68  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

show  a  quick  and  sympathetic  insight  into  her  beauties,  and  occa- 
sional  stanzas,  of  which  the  one  cited  is  among  several  translated 
by  Mr.  Hulbert,  have  a  delicacy  of  touch  not  unworthy  of  an 
Elizabethan  poet.»  The  Korean  Repository  is  doing  a  good 
work  in  making  Korean  poetry  accessible  to  English  readers. 

There  was  not,  however,  any  flute  music  at  Ta-ri-mak. 
There  were  classical  songs,  with  a  direful  drum  accompani- 
ment, and  a  wearisome  repetition  of  the  A-ra-riing,  continuing 
all  day  and  late  into  the  hot  night. 

A  few  pedlars  passed  by,  selling  tobacco,  necessaries,  and 
children's  toys,  the  latter  rudely  made,  and  only  attractive  in 
a  country  in  which  artistic  feeling  appears  dead.     There  are 
shops  m  Seoul,  Phyong-yang.  and  other  cities  devoted  to  the 
sale  of  such  toys,  painted  in  staring  colors,  and  illustrative 
chiefly  of  adult  life.     There  are  also  monkeys,  puppies,  and 
tigers  on  wheels,  all  for  boys,  and  soldiers  in  European  uni- 
forms have  appeared  during  the  recent  military  craze,  and 
boys  are  very  early  taught  to  look  forward  to  official  life  by 
representations  of  mandarins'  chairs,  red-tasselled  umbrellas, 
and  fringed  hats.     Girls  being  of  comparatively  small  account,' 
toys  specially  suited  to  them  are  not  many. 

Japanese  lucifer  matches,  which,  when  of  the  cheap  sort 
seem  only  slightly  inflammable,  as  I  have  several  times  used  a 
whole  box  without  igniting  one,  were  in  the  stock  of  the  ped- 
lars,  and  are  making  rapid  headway  in  the  towns,  but  even  so 
near  Won-san  as  Ta-ri-mak  is,  the  people  were  still  using  flint 
and  steel  to  light  chips  of  wood  dipped  in  sulphur,  though  the 
cheap  and  smoky  kerosene  lamp  has  displaced  the  tall,  upright 
candlestick  and  the  old-fashioned  dish  lamps  there  and  in  very 
many  other  country  places. 

>  I  asked  the  spotted  butterfly 
To  take  me  on  his  wing  and  fly 
To  yonder  mountain's  breezy  side. 
The  trixy  tiger  moth  I'll  ride 
As  home  I  come. 


n  ::i 


'-y^ 

^ 


Along  the  Coast 


169 


'Lis  singularly  b.au.  fu  sZ  A,a  f„rr ,""°"  '"■'''■  '" 
in  religious  exercises  «m^  j  ^  "'*■  '""*  ""'  »?='" 
'he  4erb  tre«  ^Wch  .J'  °"«  f"^'^''""'  ="d  many  of 
whicl,  SOk-JarsIissieuaL"  ""^"J"'  ■"<■-"-■"  clefe  i„ 
bj-  his  hands,  ms  rl  ia  a'd  r't  ""1  '"  '''™  1^"  '>''""=-' 
.  building  by  .hel«?v«',r°' '""'"' P"»'"«'  i- 
except  ,hf  dL  aor^rn  V^"""  "  ="''«*J-0  en.er 

'ideof  a  c.ea:lrrstr,  X •hrou'r''''  '"'^"'°"«- 
prosperous-lDoking  counlrv    .nH  ^    '"■''  P''">'  ^'"1 

some  miles  ,0  thf  tee "f  'T  """  "°'^«'  '"">"'"'»  '»' 
for  a  leng,h  of  ime  ,h°  K  u  ■"°'""""  ■^"«'-  *^e  passed 
.ic  propfrty   ,hr.h/h^   "r'^  ""*  '■'""/■'i">bered  monas- 

which  ,he  ulg"  ed  Lrea  T.t  °"  r""""'"  ""•"''  ™<"'  » 
of  an  avenue  of  "oble  cTn^r"'""^''- ""''"'J"''"^' 
'rancing  glimi^s^f  ,  J  7'  '/'F.""^  »""  "=en  giving  en- 
Ay.  of  aV^Tgorg fdar rJh  r"  T  "'  ""  '"■"■"" 
green  of  maples  and  n.l,„  j  '   ""eorenea  oy  the  tender 

of  foam  from  a  torrent  w™°"'  ""''  '"<■  '">'  «^^''« 
boulders.  ^"""«  """""S  6'«'  -oss-covered 

s.of«"u„*d\Tca™ra„d"pa,*Sr "  '°°"'  »'"'°"'  '°""'- 
.ablets,  glorious  vi t  of  a'Z  W  Trr',  'Tj"""  "°"' 


^.)l 


Wl 


.41 


/«^R 


Mpp^m 


170 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


i 


arched  the  road,  a  long  irregular  line  of  temples  and  monastic 
buildings  appeared,  clinging  in  singular  picturesqueness  to  the 
sides  of  the  ravine,  which  there  ascends  somewhat  rapidly 
towards  the  mountain,  which  closes  it. 

An  abbot,  framed  in  the  doorway  of  a  quaint  building,  and 
looking  like  a  picture  of  a  portly,  jolly,  mediaeval  friar,  wel- 
comed Ub,  and  he  and  his  moi.ks  regaled  us  with  honey  water  in 
the  large  guest- hall,  but  simultaneously  produced  a  visitors'  book 
and  asked  us  how  much  we  were  going  to  pay,  the  sum  being 
duly  recorded.  The  graspi  ng  ways  of  these  monks,  who  fleeced 
the  mupu  so  badly  as  to  make  them  say  they  "  had  fallen 
among  thieves,"  contrast  with  the  friendly  hospitality  of  their 
brethren  of  tlie  Diamond  Mountain,  and  can  only  be  accounted 
for  by  the  contaminating  influences  of  a  treaty  port,  from 
which  they  are  distant  only  a  long  day's  journey ! 

•'  See  the  sights  first  and  then  pay,"  they  said,  the  glorious 
views  and  the  quaint  picturesqueness  of  the  monastic  buildings 
clustering  on  the  crags  above  the  cataracts  being  the  sight  par 
excellence.  It  was  refreshing  to  turn  from  the  contemplation 
of  the  sensual,  acquisitive,  greedy  faces  of  most  of  the  monks 
to  Nature  at  her  fresliest  and  fairest,  on  one  of  the  loveliest 
days  of  early  June. 

The  interiors  of  the  temples  are  shabby  and  dirty,  the  paint 
is  scaling  off  the  roofs,  and  the  floors  and  even  the  altars  were 
hidden  under  layers  of  herbs  drying  for  kitchen  use.  Besides 
the  tablet  to  the  first  king  of  the  present  dynasty  in  a  hand- 
some tablet-house,  tlie  noteworthy  "sight"  to  be  seen  is  a 
small  temple  dedicated  to  the  "Five  Hundred  Disciples." 
Sok-wang  Sa  is  not  a  holy  place,  and  the  artist  who  carica- 
tured the  devout  and  ascetic  followers  of  the  ascetic  Sakymuni 
has  bequeathed  a  legacy  of  unhallowed  suggestion  to  its  in- 
mates ! 

The  "  Five  Hundred  "  are  stone  images  not  a  foot  in  height, 
arranged  round  the  dusty  temple  in  sevtiai  tiers,  each  one 
with  a  silk  cap  on,  worn  with  more  or  less  of  a  jaunty  air  on 


Along  the  Coast 


»7i 

one  side  of  the  head  or  falling  over  the  brow.  The  variety  of 
features  and  expression  is  wonderful ;  all  Eastern  nationalities 
•  are  represented,  and  there  are  not  two  faces  or  attitudes 
alike.  The  whole  display  shows  genius,  though  not  of  a  high 
order.  * 

Among  the  infinite  variety,  one  figure  has  deeply  set  eyes, 
an  aquil.ne  nose,  and  thin  lips;  another  a  pug  nose,  squinting 
eyes,  and  a  broad  grinning  mouth ;  one  is  Mongolian,  another 
Caucasiar..  and  another  approximates  to  tlie  Negro  type    Here 
IS  a  stout,  jolly  fellow,  with  a  leer  and  a  broad  grin  suggestive 
of  casks  of  porter  and  the  archaic  London  drayman  ;  there  is 
an  id.ot  with  drooping  head,  receding  brow  and  chin,  and  a 
vacant  stare;    here  again  is  a  dark  stage  villain,  with   red 
cheeks  and  a  cap  drawn  low  over  his  forehead ;  then   Mr 
Pecksniff  confronts  one  with  an  air  of  sanctimoniousness  obvi- 
ously difficult  to  retain ;  Falstaff  outdoes  his  legendary  jollity  • 
and  priests  and  monks  of  all  nations  leer  at  the  beholders 
from  under  their  jaunty  caps.     It  is  an  exhibition  of  unsancti- 
fied  genius.     Nearly  all  the  figures  look  worse  for  drink,  and 
fatuous  smiles,  drunken  leers,  and  farcical  grins  are  the  rule, 
the  effect  of  all  being  aggravated  by  the  varied  and  absurd 
arrangements  of  the  caps.     The  grotesqueness  is  indescribable 
and  altogether  "  unedifying." 

It  was  a  great  change  to  get  on  the  broad  main  road  to 
Wonsan.  and  to  see  telegraph  poles  once  more.  There  was 
plenty  ot  goods  and  passenger  traffic  across  the  fine  plain 
covered  with  rice  and  grain,  margined  by  bluffs,  and  dotted 
with  what  have  obviously  once  been  islands,  near  which  Won- 
san IS  situated. 

Where  the  road  is  broad,  a  high  heap  of  hardened  mud 
runs  along  the  centre,  with  hardened  mud  corrugations  on 
either  side ;  where  narrow,  it  is  merely  the  top  of  a  rice  dyke. 
1  he  bridges  are  specially  infamous ;  in  fact,  they  were  so  rot- 
ten that  the  mapu  would  not  trust  their  pomes  upon  them,  and 
we  forded  all  the  streams.     Yet   this  road,  which  I  found 


'"«s}m»uttSMamm«f»&fii 


172 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


equally  bad  at  the  three  points  at  which  I  touched  it,  is  one  of 
the  leading  thoroughfares  by  which  goods  pass  from  the  east  to 
the  west  coast  and  vtW  versa,— tohncco,  copper,  salt  fish,  sea- 
weed, galena,  and  hides  from  the  east,  and  foreign  shirtings, 
watches,  and  miscellaneous  native  and  foreign  articles  from  the 
west. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  was  but  poorly  indicated  by  a  shade 
temperature  of  84°,  and  it  was  in  his  full  noontide  fierceness 
that  we  reached  the  huddle  of  foul  and  narrow  alleys  and  ir- 
regular rows  of  thatched  shops  along  the  high  road  which 
make  up  the  busy  and  growing  Korean  town  of  Won-san, 
which,  with  an  estimated  population  of  15,000  people,  lies 
along  a  strip  of  beach  below  a  pine-clolhed  bluff  and  ranges 
of  mountains,  then  green  to  their  summits,  but  which  I  saw  in 
December  of  the  same  year  in  the  majesty  of  the  snow  which 
covers  from  November  to  May.     Tiie  smells  were  fearful, 

the  dirt  aL.  .ainabie,  and  the  quantity  of  wretched  dogs  and  of 
pieces  of  bleeding  meat  blackening  in  the  sun  perfectly  sicken- 
ing.   This  aspect  of  meat,  produced  by  the  mode  of  killing 
It,  has  made  foreigners  entirely  dependent  on  the  Japanese 
butchers  in  Seoul  and  elsewhere.     The  Koreans  cut  the  throat 
of  the  animal  and  insert  a  peg  in  the  opening.     Then  the 
butcher  takes  a  hatchet  and  beats  the  animal  on  the  rump  until 
It  dies.     The  process  takes  about  an  hour,  and  the  beast  suffers 
agonies  of  terror  and  pain  before  it  loses  consciousness.    Very 
little  blood  is  lost  during  the  operation  ;  the  beef  is  full  of  it, 
and  its  heavier  weight  in  consequence  is  to  the  advantage  of 
the  vendor. 

Then  came  a  level  stretch  of  about  a  mile,  much  planted 
with  potatoes,  glimpses  of  American  Protestant  mission-houses 
in  conspicuous  and  eligible  positions  (eligible,  that  is,  for 
everything  but  mission  work),  and  the  uneven  Korean  road 
glided  imperceptibly  into  a  broad  gravel  road,  fringed  on  both 
sides  with  neat  wooden  houses  standing  in  gardens,  which 
gradually  thickened  into  the  neatest,  trimmest,  and  most  at- 


Along  the  Coast 


»73 

to  foreign  trade  generally  in  1883. 
Broad  and  well-kept  streets,  neat  wharves,  trim  and  fair)., 

iN.y.K.,  the  Japan  Mail  Steamship  Company  (an  abbrevia- 
t.on  as  fam.har  to  residents  in  the  Far  East  as  '^P  &  O 'T  a 
Japanese  Bank  of  solid  reputation,  Customs'  buildings  o? 
wh    e  Eu:;ot  ''^''^.^r''  ^--  ^  P-^,  neat  Japanese'    op 

larschoT  ?  '"'  ^^  b-ght  at  moderate  price  Ja 

large  schodhouse,   with  a  teacher  in  European  dress    and 

et:  nTmlffled"'  '^'''7  '"  graceful  lomen,::^:: 
anese  cln?  V  k"?' "'  '^'  ^''''''''  of  this  pleasant  Jap- 
anese  colony,  which  is  so  fortunate  as  to  have  no  history  its 

n^Tr'r  d7'.  "°'  "P'^'  ^^^'"^  ^-"  P>-"^  an    peac'e'f 
not  marred  by  fnct.on  either  with  Koreans  or  foreigners  of 
other  nationahties;  and  even  the  recent  war,  thought  ed  to 
the  removal  of  the  Chinese  consul  and  his  countrymen   an  il 
significant  fraction   of   the  population     h.^   w. 
traces  evr^nt  tu.*-  *i,  Pop"'ation,   had   left  no  special 

bv  tS  T  ^      u  !  '  '"°™°"'  ^'"g^^  P^'d  to  transport  coolies 
by  the^Japanese  had  enabled  them  to  gamble  with  yen  instead 

I  was  most  hospitably  received  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gale  of  the 

portant  one  of  the  preparation  of  a  dictionary  of  the  Korean 

i„„^"r«  "?'  '""':'  ^"J'  "'"''''  I  »1»"'  «  W8n.sa„  I  made  a 
WKt  corner  of  wh.ch  the  port  is  situated.     It  is  a  superb  bav 
fl  '°  "'V  '""'  ""  ^""=  "-"-•  ^  depth  of  frr6  ,0  r'^ 
IS  sheltered  by  promontones  and  mountains  from  the  winds  of 


it 


;3l 

'  m 


m 


\§ 


Ml 


»74 


Korea  and  Her  Neigfibors 


every  quarter,  and  its  entrance  is  protected  by  islands.  To 
English  readers  it  is  probable  that  the  sole  interest  of  this  fine 
bay  lies  in  the  fact  that  its  northern  arm,  Port  Lazareff,  which 
was  the  object  of  my  cruise,  is  the  harbor  which  Russia  is 
credited  with  desiring  to  gain  possession  of  for  the  terminus 
of  her  Trans-Siberian  Railway.  Whether  this  be  so  or  no,  or 
whether  Port  Shestakofi",  on  the  same  coast,  but  60  miles 
farther  north,  is  more  defensible  and  better  adapted  for  a 
naval  as  well  as  a  terminal  port,  tlie  time  has  gone  by  for 
grudging  to  Russia  an  outlet  on  the  Pacific,  and  I  for  one 
should  prefer  it  on  the  coast  of  eastern  Korea  than  on  the 
northern  shore  of  the  "^ellow  Sea. 

The  head  of  Port  Lazareff  is  about  16  miles  from  Wonsan, 
and  is  formed  by  the  swampy  outlets  of  the  river  Dim-gan, 
among  the  many  branches  of  which  lie  inhabited,  low-lying 
islands.  There  are  rude  but  extensive  salt  works  at  the  shal- 
lows in  which  this  noble  inlet  terminates,  after  receiving 
several  streams  besides  the  Dun-gan.  Port  Lazareff  has,  in 
addition,  abundant  supplies  of  water  from  natural  springs. 
The  high  hills  which  surround  the  bay  are  grassy  to  their  sum- 
mits, but  there  is  very  little  wood,  and  the  villages  are  small 
and  far  between.  Game  is  singularly  abundant.  Pheasanjs 
are  nearly  as  plentiful  as  sparrows  are  with  us,  the  wary 
turkey  bustard  abounds,  there  are  snipe  in  the  late  summer, 
and  pigeons,  plover,  and  water-hen  are  common.  In  spring 
and  autumn  wild  fowl  innumerable  crowd  the  waters  of  every 
stream  and  inlet,  swans,  teal,  geese,  and  ducks  darkening  the 
air,  which  they  rend  with  their  clamor  as  the  sportsman  in- 
vades their  haunts. 

A  Korean  junk  does  not  impress  one  by  its  seaworthiness, 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  junkmen  hug  the  shore  and 
seek  shelter  whenever  a  good  sailing  breeze  comes  on.  She  is 
built  without  nails,  iron,  or  preservative  paint,  and  looks 
rather  like  a  temporary  and  fortuitous  aggregation  of  beams 
and  planks  than  a  deliberate  construction.     Two  tall,  heavy 


Along  the  Coast 


»75 

masts  fixed  by  wedges  among  tl.e  timbers  at  the  bottom  of  the 
boat  requ.re  frequent  attention,  as  they  are  always  swaying  a 
threatemng  to  come  down.     The  sails  are  of  matting,  with  a 
number  of  bamboos  running  transversely,  with  a  cord  attached 
to  e  ch,  un.ted.nto  one  sheet,  by  means  of  which  tacking  is 
effected,  or  rather  m.ght  be.     Practically,  navigation  conlsts 
m  run....g  before  a  light  breeze,  and  dropping  the  mass  of 
mats  and  bamboos  on  the  confusion  below  whenever  it  freshens 
varying  the  process  by  an  easy  pull  at  the  sweeps,  one  at  the 
stern  and  two  working  on  pins  in  transverse  beams  amidships. 
whu:h  project  3  feet  on  each  side.     The  junk  is  fitted  with  I 

board  °' r'"""'  "'/  ^'•''  '''"^  '''  P''^'''^"  ^^'«  -  -  keel 
cZ:  -...^."r"  ''  '^'°'"  ^°  '°  ^°  '^^^"^"-     This  singular 

s  ant  t '  h  °"  '''  "'"''  '"*  ""^^^  °»'-'  circumstances 

IS  apt  to  become  unmanageable. 

chTJUT  ^u  l"^'^''^'^'^  communication  with  Seoul,  and 
bv  mos  "'r  the  enterprise  of  the  N.Y.K..  it  is  connected 
by  most  comfortable  steamers  with  Korean  ports  and  with 

ChetrN  '  u""'''  "''  ''^^"^'^•'  ^oug.Ko.,,  Shanghai 
line  call  '?"^^'"^"^'  ^"^  Ti«"tsin.     Steamers  of  a  Russian 

re  no  W  ."'"  "'  'V''  ^""'"^  ^'^  ^"""'^^  ^'^'on.  There 
are  no  Western  merchants  or  Western  residents  except  the  mis! 
s^nanes  and  the  Customs  staff,  and  foreign  trade  is  chiefly  'n 
the  hands  of  the  Japanese.  ^ 

About  60  //  from  Won-san  are  some  large  grass-covered 
mounds,  of  which  the  Koreans  do  not  care  to  speTk  as  tl  ev 
regard  them  as  associated  with  an  ancient  Ko^ran  a  s tm  c^^ 
ooked  upon  as  barbarous.  During  the  last  dynasty,  and  .^I 
than  five  centur.es  ago.  it  was  customary,  when  people  from 
age  and  .nfirmity  became  burdensome  to  iheir  reladons  toT 

w.tl  a  l.ttle  food  and  water,  and  leave  them  there  to  die  In 
sundar  mounds,  elsewhere  in  Korea,  bowls  and  jW  c  J^ 
SI  "^  been  found,  as  well  as  a  few  speciLns  of  gr^y^ 


III 


m 


i 


.  1 


It' 


176 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


There  is  nothing  sii  sational  alKuit  Uon-san.'  It  has  no 
"  booms  "in  trade  or  land,  but  ••  keeps  the  even  tenor  of  its 
way."  It  is  to  me  far  the  most  attractive  of  the  treaty  ports. 
Its  trim  Japanese  settlement,  from  which  green  hills  rise 
abruptly,  backed  by  fine  mountain  forms,  dignified  by  snow 
for  seven  months  of  the  year,  and  above  all,  the  exquisite 
caves  to  the  northwest,  where  the  sea  murmurs  in  cool  grottos, 
and  beats  the  pure  white  sand  into  ripples  at  the  feet  of  cliffs 
hidden  by  flowers,  ferns,  and  grass,  and  its  air  of  dreamy  re- 
pose—" a  land  where  it  is  always  afternoon  "—point  to  its 
future  as  that  of  a  salubrious  and  popular  sanitarium. 


In  January  of  1897 

Japanese 

Chinese 

American 

German 

British 


the  population  of  Wansan  was  as  follows:—. 


i,a99 

39 
8 

3 

a 


French 
Russian 
Danish 
Norwegian , 


a 
2 
I 
I 


».3S7 


Estimated  Korean  population,  15,000. 


' 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IMPENDING   WAR-EXCITEMENT  AT  CHEMULPO 

IT  AVING  heard  nothing  at  all  of  public  events  during  my 

11    long  >»Jand  journey,  and  only  a  few  rumors  of  unlocal 
zed  collisions  between  the  Tong-haks  (rebels)  and  the  Royal 
troops,  the  atmosphere  of  canards  at  Won-san  was  somewhat 
stimulating   though  I  had  already  been  long  enough  in  Korea 
not  to  attach  much  importance  to  the  stories  with  which  the 
air  was  thick.     One  day  it  was  said  that  the  Tong-haks  had 
gained  great  successes  and  had  taken  Catling  guns  from  the 
Royal  army,  another  that  they  had  been  crushed  and  their 
mysterious  and  ubiquitous  leader  beheaded,  while  the  latest 
rumor  before  my  departure  was  that  they  were  marching  in 
great  force  on  Fusan.     Judging  from  the  proclamation  which 
they  circulated,  and  which,  while  stating  that  they  rose  against 
corrupt  officials  and  traitorous  advisers,  professed  unswerving 
oyalty  to  the  throne,  it  seemed  credible  that,  if  there  were  a 
throb  of  patriotism  anywhere  in  Korea,  it  was  in  the  breasts 
of  these  peasants.     Their  risings  appeared  to  be  free  from  ex- 
cesses and  useless  bloodshed,  and  tiiey  confined  themselves  to 
the  attempt  to  carry  out  their  programme  of  reform.     Some 
foreign  sympathy  was  bestowed  upon  them,   because  it  was 
bought  that  the  iniquities  of  misrule  could  go  no  further,  and 
hat    he  time  was  ripe  for  an  armed  protest  on  a  larger  scale 
than  the  ordinary  peasant  risings  against  intolerable  exactions 
«ut  at  the  very  moment  when  these  matters  were  being  dis- 
cussed in  W3n-san  with  not  more  than  a  languid  interest,  a 
formidable  menace  to  the  established  order  of  things  was  tak- 
ing shape,  destined  in  a  it^  days  to  cast  the  Tong-haks  into 

177 


iHl 


Korea  ami  Her  Ntighbors 

ihe  shade,  »n(l  cncei.trate  the  attention  of  the  world  on  this 
insignificant  peninsula. 

Leaving  Won-san  by  steamer  on  17th  June,  and  arriving  at 
Fusan  on  the  19th,  I  ivas  not  surprise.!  to  f.nd  a  Japanese  gun- 
boat m  the  liarbor.  and  that  220  Japanese  soldiers  had  been 
landed  from  the  Higo  Maru  that  morning  and  were  quartered 
•n  the  Buddhist  temples  on  the  hill,  and  that  the  rebels  had 
cut  the  telegraph  wires  between  Fusan  and  Seoul. 

Among  the  few  Europeans  at  Fusan  there  was  no  uneasiness 
'I  he  Japanese,  with  their  large  mercantile  colony  there,  have 
considerable  interests  to  safeguard,  and  nothing  seemed  more 
natural  than  the  course  they  took.  A  rumor  that  Japanese 
troops  had  been  landed  at  Ciiemulpo  was  quite  disregarded 

On  arriving  at  Chemulpo,  however,  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  21st,  a  very  exciting  state  of  matters  revealed  itself.     A 
large  fleet,  six  Japanese  ships  of  war,  the  American  flag  ship 
two  French,  one  Russian,  and  two  Chinese,  were  lying  in  the 
outer  harbor.     The  limited  accommodation  of  the  inner  har- 
bor  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity.     Japanese  transports  were 
landing  troops,  horses,  and  war  material  in  steam  launches, 
junks  were  discharging  rice  and  other  stores  for  the  commis- 
sariat department,  coolies  were  stacking  it  on  the  beach,  and 
the  movement  by  sea  and  land  was  ceaseless.     Visitors  from 
the  shore,  excited  and  agitated,  brought  a  budget  of  astound- 
ing rui;;ors,  but  confessed  to  being  mainly  in  the  dark. 

On  landing,  I  found  the  deadly  dull  port  transformed:  the 
streets  resounded  to  the  tread  of  Japano'.e  troops  in  heavy 
marching  order,  trains  of  mat  and  forage  carts  blocked  th- 
road.     Every  house  in  the  main  street  of  the  Japanese  settle- 
ment was  turned  into  a  barrack  and  crowded  with  troops 
rifles  and  accoutrements  gleamed  in  the  balconies,  crowds  of 
Koreans,  1:  •»..  and  dazed,  lounged  in  the  streets  or  sat  on  the 
knolls,  gann^  v-;..  Hy  at  the  transformation  of  their  port  into 
a  foreign  csn  p,      '\^y  vwo  hours  had  passed  since  the  first  of 
the  troops  laoJt-;   aau  when  I  vv  -ted  the  camp  with  a  young 


■waiaHMuaa 


Iiiip<n(ling  War 


»79 

Russian  .fficer  iherc  were  ,,200  men  under  canvns  in  well- 
vcni.late<l  bell  tents,  hoMing  20  each,  with  matte.l  llcx.rs  an.I 
drainage  trenches.  an<|  dinner  was   l,eing  served   in   lacqner 
boxrs.     btahles  had  been  run  up.  and  the  <  avalry  and  niounlain 
Runs  were  in  the  centre.     The  horses  of  the  mountain  battery 
train,  serviceable  animals,  fourteen  hands  high,  were   in  ex- 
cellent condition,  and  were  equipped  with  pack  saddles  of  the 
btest  Indian  pattern.     They  were  removing  shot  and  shell  for 
Seoul  from  the  Japanese  Consulate  with   200  men  and  100 
horses,  and  it  was  done  almost  soundlessly.     The  camp  with 
us  neat  streets,  was  orderly,  trim,  and  quiet.     In  the' town 
sentries  challenged  passers-by.     Every  man  looked  as  if  he 
knew  his  duty  and  meant  to  do  it.     There  was  no  swagger 
Ihe  manikins,    well  armed   and   serviceably  dressetl,    were 
obviously  in  Korea  for  a  purpose  which  they  meant  to  ac- 
complish. 

VVhat   that   purpose  was,  was  well  concealed  under  color 
of  giving  efficient  protection  to  Japanese  subjects  in  Korea 
who  were  said  to  be  i  .iperilled  by  the  successes  of  the  Tong! 

The  rebellion  in  southern  Korea  was  exciting  much  alarm  in 
the  capital.     Such  movements,  though  on  a  smaller  scale,  are 
annual  spring  events  in  the  peninsula,  when  in  one  or  other 
of  the   provinces  the  peasantry,  driven  to  exasperation  by 
official  extortions,  rise,  and.  with  more  or  less  violence  (oc- 
casionally fatal),  drive  out  the  offending  mandarin.     Punish- 
ment rarely  ensues.     The  King  sends  a  new  official,  who 
squeezes  and  extorts  in  his  turn  with  more  or  less  vigor,  until, 
.f  he  also  passes  bearable  limits,  he  is  forcibly  expelled,  and 
things  settle  down  once  more.     This  Tong-hak  ("  Oriental  " 
or  "National")  movement,  though  lost  sight  of  in  presence 
of  more  important  issues,  was  of  greater  moment,  as  being 
organized  on  a  broader  basis,  so  as  to  include  a  great  number 
of  adherents  in  Seoul  and  the  other  cities,  and  with  such 
definite  and  reasonable  objects  that  at  first  I  was  inclined  to 


n 


i       I  !  .'I 

i       i 


J 
il       I 


m 


ijj 


l8o  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

call  its  leaders  •'  armed  reformers  "  rather  than  "  rebels."    At 
that  time  there  was  no  question  as  to  the  Royal  authority. 

The  Tong-hak  proclamation  began  by  declaring  in  respect- 
ful language  loyal  allegiance  to  the  King,  and  went  on  to 
state  the  grievances  in  very  moderate  terms.  The  Tong-haks 
asserted,  and  with  undoubted  truth,  that  officials  in  Korea,  for 
their  own  purposes,  closed  the  eyes  and  ears  of  the  King  to  all 
news  and  reports  of  the  wrongs  inflicted  on  his  people  That 
mmisters  of  State,  governors,  and  magistrates  were  all  indiffer- 
ent to  the  welfare  of  their  country,  and  were  bent  only  on 
enriching  themselves,  and  that  there  were  no  checks  on  their 
rapacity.  Tiiat  examinations  (the  only  avenues  to  official  life) 
were  nothing  more  than  scenes  of  bribery,  barter,  and  sale 

tI   /ri"  ^°"^''  '"'''  ""^  ^'^"''^  ^°^  ^'^'1  appointment. 
Ihat  officials  cared  not  for  the  debt  into  which  the  country 
was  fast  sinking.      That   "  they  were  proud,   vainglorious, 
adulterous,  avaricious."     That  many  officials  receiving  ap- 
pointments in  the  country  lived  in  Seoul.     That  "  they  flatter 
and  fawn  in  peace,  and  desert  and  betray  in  times  of  trouble  " 
The  necessity  for  reform  was  strongly  urged.     There  were 
no  expressions  of  hostility  to  foreigners,  and  the  manifesto  did 
not  appear  to  take  any  account  of  them.     Tiie  leader,  whose 
individuality  was  never  definitely  ascertained,  was  credited 
with  ubiquity  and  supernatural  powers  by  the  common  people 
as  well  as  with  the  ability  to  speak  both  Japanese  and  Chinese 
and  It  was  evident  from  his  measures,  forethought,  the  dispo- 
sition of  his  forces,  and  some  touches  of  Western  strategic 
skill,  that  he  had  some  acquaintance  with  the  modern  art  of 
war      His  followers,  armed  at  first  with  only  old  swords  and 
halberds,  had  come  to  possess  rifles,  taken  from  the  official 
armories  and  the  defeated  Royal  troops.     For  in  the  midst  of 
the  thousand  wild  rumors  which  were  afloat,  it  appeared  certain 
that  the  King  sent  several  hundred  soldiers  against  the  Tong- 
haks  under  a  general  who,  on  his  way  to  attack  their  camp 
raised  and  armed  300  levies,  who,  in  the  engagement  which 


It 


Impending  War 


181 

followed    joined  the  "  rebels "  and  turned  upon  the  King's 
troops,  that  300  of  the  latter  were  killed,  and  that  the  gen  ra 
was  n.,ss.ng.     This,  following  other  successes,  the  deposition 
of  several  important  officials,  and  the  rumored  march  o..  Seoul 

patsrfliir ''''''' "' '''  ^^"^  ^''  ^"^'^-^^  -  '^  p- 

But  the  events  of  the  two  or  three  days  before  I  landed  at 
Chemulpo    hrew  the  local  disturbance  into  the  shade,  and  it 

Zetellf         "".  °'^'"'  ''  ^'°"'"^  ^'^^^  -'-^  -^  -cellen 
pretext  for  interference  the  Tong-haks  had  furnished  the  Jap- 

The  questions  vital  to  Korea  and  of  paramount  diplomatic 

nwas.on  ?    Is  sl,e  here  as  an  enemy  or  a  friend  ?  "     Six  thou-  / 

Sfl  'Th  P*?;'^'""^^  ^''  ^hree  months  had  been  landed. 
Fifteen  of  the  iV^^..«  y.sen  Kaisha^s  steamers  had  been  with-  ' 

occupied  the  Gap,  a  pass  on  the  Seoul  road,  and  Ma-pu,  the 
nver  port  of  the  capital,  and  with  guns,  and  in  conside  ab  e 
force  had  established  themselves  on  Nam  Han,  a  wooded 
hil  above  Seoul,  from  which  position  they  commanded  bo  h 

with  a  suddenness,  celerity,  and  freedom  from  hitch  which  in 
their  military  aspects  were  worthy  of  the  highest  praise. 

To  any  student  of  Far  Eastern  politics  it  must  have  been  ap- 
parent that  this  skilful  and  extraordinary  move  on  the  part  of 
Japan  was  not  made  for  the  protection  of  her  colonies  in 
Chemulpo  and  Seoul,  nor  yet  against  Korea.  It  has  been  said 
in  various  quarters,  and  believed,  that  the  Japanese  ministry 
was  shaky,  and  had  to  choose  between  its  own  downfall  and  I 
foreign  war.     This  is  a  complete  sophism.     There  can  be  no 

?eai  "s.  ?r"  !;^'  '""  P'-ning  such  a  movement  f^r 
years.  She  had  made  accurate  maps  of  Korea,  and  had 
secured  reports  of  forage  and  provisions,  measurements  of  the 


l82 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


width  of  rivers  and  the  depth  of  fords,  and  had  been  buying 
up  nee  in  Korea  for  three  months  previously,  while  even  as  far 
as  the  Tibetan   frontier,  Japanese  officers  in  disguise  had 
gauged  the  strength  and  weakness  of  China,  reporting  on  her 
armies    on   paper  and,  in   fact,  on   her  dummy  guns,  and 
antique,  honeycombed  carronades,  and  knew  better  than  the 
Chinese  themselves  how  many  men  each  province  could  put 
into  the  field,  how  drilled  and  how  armed,  and  they  were 
acquainted  with  the  infinite  corruption  and  dishonesty,  com- 
bined with  a  total  lack  of  patriotism,  which  nullified  even  such 
commissariat  arrangements  as  existed  on  paper,  and  rendered 
It  absolutely  impossible  for  China  to  send  an  army  efficiently 
into  the  field,  far  less  sustain  it  during  a  campaign. 

To  all  appearance  Japan  had  completely  outwitted  China  in 
Korea,  and  a  panic  prevailed  among  the  Chinese.  Thirty 
ladies  of  the  households  of  the  Chinese  Resident  and  Consul 
embarked  for  China  on  the  appearance  of  the  Japanese  in 
beoul,  and  800  Chinamen  left  Chemulpo  the  day  I  arrived 
the  consternation  in  the  Chinese  colony  being  so  great  that 
even  the  market  gardeners,  who  have  a  monopoly  of  a  most 
thriving  trade,  fled. 

I  never  before   saw  the  Chinaman  otherwise  than  aggra- 
vatingly  cool,  collected,  and  master  of  the  situation,  but  on 
that  June  day  he  lost  his  head,  and,  frenzied  by  race  hatred 
and  pecuniary  loss,  was  transformed  into  a  shouting  barbarian, 
not  knowing  what  he  would  be  at.     The  Chinese  inn  where  I 
spent  the  day  was  one  centre  of  the  excitement,  and  each  time 
that  I  came  in  from  a  walk  or  received  a  European  visitor,  a 
number  of  the  employis,  usually  most  quiet  and  reticent,  hud- 
dled into  my  room  with  faces  distorted  by  anxiety,  asking 
what  I  had  heard,  what  was  going  to  be,  whether  the  Chinese 
army  would  be  there  that  night,  whether  the  British  fleet  was 
coming  to  help  them,  etc.,  and  even  my  Chinese  servant,  a 
most  excellent  fellow,  was  beside  himself,  muttering  in  English 
through  clenched  teeth,  "  I  must  kill,  kill,  kill  I  " 


1 


Impending  War 


■83 


Afeanwhile  the  dwarf  battalions,  a  miracle  of  rigid  disci- 
pline and  good  behavior,  were  steadily  tramping  to  Seoul, 
where  matters  then  and  for  some  time  afterwards  stood  thus. 
The  King  was  in  his  secluded  palace,  and  that  which  still 
posed  as  a  Government  had  really  collapsed.     Mr.  Hillier, 
the  English  Consul-General,  was  in  England  on  leave,  and  the 
acting  Consul-General,  Mr.  Gardner,  C.M.G.,  had  only  been 
in  Korea  for  three  months.     The  American  Minister  was  a 
newer  man  still.     The  French   and  German   Consuls  need 
hardly  be  taken  into  account,  as  they  had  few,  if  any,  inter- 
ests to  safeguard.      Mr.  Waeber,  the  able  and  cautious  diplo- 
matist who  had  represented  Russia  for  nine  years,  and  had 
the  confidence  of  the  whole  foreign  community,  had  been  ap- 
pointed chargi  d'affaires  at  Peking,  and  had  left  Seoul  in  the 
previous  week.     There  remained,  therefore,  facing  each  other, 
Otori  San,  the  Japanese  ambassador  to  Peking,  who  was  in 
Korea  on  a  temporary  mission,  and  Yuan,  a  military  mandarin 
who  had  been  for  some  years  Chinese  Resident  in  Seoul,  a  man 
entrusted  by  the  Chinese  Emperor  with  large  powers,  who  was 
credited  by  foreigners  with  great  force,  tact,  and  ability, 
and  who  was  generally  regarded  as  "  the  power  behind  the 
throne." 

I  had  frequently  seen  Otori  San  in  the  early  months  of  the 
year,  a  Japanese  of  average  height,  speaking  English  well, 
wearing  European  dress  as  though  born  to  it,  and  sporting 
white  "  shoulder-of-mutton  "  whiskers.  He  lounged  in  draw- 
ing-rooms, making  trivial  remarks  to  ladies,  and  was  remark- 
able only  for  his  insignificance.  I  believe  he  made  the  same 
impression,  or  want  of  impression,  at  Peking.  But  circum- 
stances or  stringent  orders  from  Tokyo  had  transformed  Mr. 
Otori.  Whether  he  had  worn  a  mask  previously  I  know  not, 
but  he  showed  himself  rough,  vigorous,  capable,  a  man  of 
action,  unscrupulous,  and  not  only  clever  enough  to  outwit 
Yuan  in  a  difficult  and  hazardous  game,  but  everybody  else. 

In  the  afternoon  of  that  memorable  day  at  Chemulpo  the 


i 


'  ii 


II 


184  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Vice-consul  called  on  me  and  warned  me  that  I  must  leave 
Korea   that   n.ght,   and  the  urgency  and  seriousness  of  his 
manne     eft  me  no  doubt  that  he  was  acting  on  information 
which  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  divulge.     I  had  left  my  travel- 
ing gear  at  Won  san  in  readiness  for  an  autumn  journ'ey  and 
was  going  to  Seoul  that  night  for  a  week  to  get  my  money 
and  c.v.hzed  luggage  before  going  for  the  sum'mer  to  Jap' 
be'denVrr^''^"'  •  "^^'^  ^"^°P^^"^  ^^--^  -«  "Otto 
De  a  source  of  embarrassment  to  British  officials,   and  sup- 
posing the  crisis  to  be  an  acute  one,   I  reluctantly  yfeld  d, 
and  that  n.ght,  with   two  English  fellow-sufferers,  left  Che! 
mu  po  m  the  Japanese  steamer  Jli^o  Maru,  bound  for  ports 
m  the  Gulf  of  Pechili,  which  cul-d.-sac  would  have  proved 
a   veritable    '« lion's  mouth"  to  her  had  hostilities  been  as 
.mmment  as  the  Vice-Consul  believed  them  to  be.     I  had 
nothing  but  the  clothing  I  wore,  a  heavy  tweed  suit,  and  the 

first  po  t  of  call,  I  had  only  four  cents  left.    It  was  four  months 
before  I  obtained  either  my  clothes  or  my  money  1 


I 


'  i 


i 


I 


y 


'  i 


CHAPTER  XrV 

DEPORTED  TO   MANCHURIA 

T^HOUGH  I  landed  at  Chefoo  in  heavy  tweed  clothing  I 

suL  X:.  Th'  '°  "'''  "P  '''  ^'"P  '''  '°  ^^«  British  Con! 
sulate.  though  the  mercury  was  84°  in  the  shade,  because  I 

had  no  money  with  which  to  pay  for  a/inHks/sa,    My  reflec 
.ons  were  anything  but  pleasant,     m/ passport  andktters  of 
roduet,on.  both  private  and  official,  were  in  Seoul,  my  tl, 
1  ng  dress  was  distinctly  shabby,  and  I  feared  that  In  Lpecu- 
mous  person  wuhout  introductions,  and  unable  to  proTh" 
identity,  might  meet  with  a  very  cool  reception      I  ex„eri 
enced  something  of  the  anxiety  and  timidity  which  are      e 
everyday  lot  of  thousands,  and  I  have  felt  a  far  tenderer  svm 
pathy  with  the  penniless,  specially  the  educated  pel i        Z 
uice.     I  was  so  extremely  uncomfortable  that  I  hun.  Ibou 
he  gate  of  the  British  Consulate  for  some  minute    before 
could  summon  up  courage  to  go  to  the  door  and  send  in  a  L 
address  of  a  letter  which  was  my  only  visiting  card  !    I  hoUht 
but  It  may  have  been  fancy,  that  the  Chinese  who  took  it  tn 
me  suspiciously  and  contemptuously.  ^ 

The  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling  which  followed  I  cannot 
easily  forget.     Mr.  Clement  Allen,  our  Justly  pop  tr  CoTul 
met  me  with  a  warm  welcome.     I  needed  no  proof  of  iden  ity 

or  me  It'-'r  °"^^ '^^"^^^  ^°  ''"^  ^'at  he  cluld  do 
for  me.  My  anxiety  was  not  quite  over,  for  I  had  to  make 
the  humiliating  confession  that  I  needed  money,  and  mmedt 
ately  he  took  me  to  Messrs.  Ferguson  and  Co  who  tm^  ac 
banking  business,  and  asked  them  to  let  me  hav;  Ts  much  Is  I 
wanted.    An  invitation  to  tiffin  followed,  and  Lad"  O'ConoV 

'85 


■:  ■! 


i86 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


and  the  wife  of  the  Spanish  minister  at  Peking,  who  were  stay- 
ing at  the  Consulate,  made  up  a  bundle  of  summer  clothing  for 
me,  and  my  "deportation"  enriched  me  with  valued  friend- 
ships. 

Returning  in  a  very  dif  rent  frame  of  mind  to  the  Higo 
Mam,  I  went  on  in  her  in  severe  heat  to  the  mouth  of  tiie 
Peiho  River  in  sight  of  the  Taku  forts,  and  after  rolling  on  its 
muddy  surges  for  two  days,  proceeded  to  Newchwang  in  Man- 
churia, reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Liau  River  in  five  days  from 
Chemulpo.  Rain  was  falling,  and  a  more  hideous  and  disas- 
trous-looking country  than  the  voyage  of  two  hours  up  to  the 
port  revealed,  I  never  saw.  The  Liau,  which  has  a  tremen- 
dous tide  and  strong  current,  and  is  thick  with  yellow  mud,  is 
at  high  water  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  adjacent  flats,  of  which 
one  sees  little,  except  some  mud  forts  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  which  are  said  to  be  heavily  armed  with  Krupp  guns, 
and  an  expanse  of  mud  and  reeds. 

Of  the  mud-built  Chinese  city  of  Ying-tzu  (Military  Camp), 
known  as  Newchwang,  though  the  real  Newchwang  is  a  dere- 
lict port  30  miles  up  the  Liau,  nothing  can  be  seen  above  the 
mud  bank  but  the  curved,  tiled  roofs  of  yamens  and  tem- 
ples, though  it  is  a  city  of  60,000  souls,  the  growth  of  its 
population  having  kept  pace  with  its  rapid  advance  in  com- 
mercial importance  since  it  was  opened  to  foreign  trade  in 
i860.     Several  British  steamers  with  big  Chinese  characters 
on  their  sides  were  at  anchor  in  the  tideway,  and  the  river 
sides  were  closely  fringed  with  up-river  boats  and  sea-going 
junks,  of  various  picturesque  builds  and  colors,  from  Southern 
China,  steamers  and  junks  alike  waiting  not  only  for  cargoes 
of  the  small  beans  for  which  Manchuria  is  famous,  but  for  the 
pressed  bean  cake  which  is  exported  in  enormous  quantities  to 
fertilize  the  sugar  plantations  and  hungry  fields  of  South  China. 
There  is  a  Bund,  and  along  and  behind  it  is  the  foreign 
settlement,  occupied  by  about  forty  Europeans.     The  white 
buildings  of  the  Chinese  Imperial  Maritime  Customs,  the  houses 


Deported  to  Munch uria 


187 


of  the  staff,  the  hongs  of  two  or  tliree  foreign  merchants,  and 
the  British  Consular  buildings,  may  be  said  to  constitute  the 
settlement.  It  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  kindliest 
and  friendliest  in  the  Far  East,  and  the  fact  that  the  river  closes 
annually  about  the  20th  of  November  for  about  four  months, 
and  that  the  residents  are  thrown  entirely  on  their  own  re- 
sources and  on  each  other,  only  serves  to  increase  that  inter- 
dependence which  binds  this  and  similarly  isolated  communi- 
ties  so  strongly  together. 

I  was  most  kindly  welcomed  at  the  English  Consulate  then 
and  on  my  return,  and  have  most  pleasant  remembrances  of 
Newchwang,  its  cordial  kindness,  and  cheerful  Bund,  and  breezy 
blue  skies,  but  at  first  sight  it  is  a  dreary,  solitary-looking  place 
of  mud,  and  muddy  waters  for  ever  swallowing  large  slices  of 
the  land,  and  threatening  to  engulf  it  altogether. 

"Peas,"  really  beans,'  are  its  chief  raison  d'etre,  and  their 
ups  and  downs  in  price  its  mild  sensations.  "Pea-boats," 
long  and  narrow,  with  matting  roofs  and  one  huge  sail,  bring 
down  the  beans  from  the  interior,  and  mills  working  night 
and  day  express  their  oil,  which  is  as  good  for  cooking  as  for 
burning. 

The  viceroyalty  of  Manchuria,  in  which  I  spent  the  next  two 
months,  is  interesting  as  in  some  ways  distinct  from  China,  be- 
sides having  a  prospective  interest  in  connection  with  Russia. 
Lying  outside  of  the  Great  Wall,  it  has  a  population  of  several 
distinct  and  mixed  races,  Manchus  (Tartars),  Gilyaks,  Tung, 
usi,  Solons,  Daurs,  and  Chinese.  Along  with  these  must  be 
mentioned  about  30,000  Korean  families,  the  majority  of  whom 
have  left  Korea  since  1868,  in  consequence  of  political  disturb- 
ance and  official  exactions.' 

The  facts  that  the  dynasty  which  has  ruled  China  by  right 
of  conquest  since  1644  is  a  Manchu  dynasty,  and  that  it  im- 

>  Glycene  hispides  (Dr,  Morrison). 

•According  to  information  obtained  by  the  Russian  Diplomatic  Mission 
in  Peking. 


l88  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

posed  the  shaven  forehead  and  the  pigtail  on  all  Chinese  men 
successfully,  while  it  absolutely  failed  to  prevent  the  women 

tZ^c'iri^'f  !r:'  ^'^""^"^  "P  *°  ^his  day  no  woman 
with  .'Golden  L.l.es"  (crushed  feet)  is  allowed  to  enter  the 
Imperial  palace,  naturally  turn  attention  to  this  viceroyalf 
which,  ni  point  of  its  area  of  380,000  square  miles,  is  large 
than  Austria  and  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  put  together,  while 
us  population  IS  estimated  at  from  x8,ooo,ooo  to'.o,c;o,ooo 
only      Thus  it  offers  a  vast  field  for  emigration  from  the  con- 
gest d  provinces  of  Northern  China,  and  Chinese  immigrants 
are     eaddy  flocking  in  from  Shan-tung,  Chi-li,  and  Shen-si, 
so  that  Southern  Manchuria  at  this  time  is  little  behind  the 
inner  provinces  of  China  in  density  of  population. 

It  IS  different  in  the  northern  province,  where  a  cold  climate 

ut  r.  ''T  '  °^  ^°''''  '^"^^^  agriculture  more  difficult. 
If  It  had  not  been  for  the  war  and  its  attendant  complications, 
I  had  purposed  to  travel  through  it  from  Northern  Korea 
But  It  IS  unsettled  at  all  times.  The  majority  of  its  immi- 
.  grants  consists  of  convicts,  fugitive  criminals,  soldiers  who 
have  eft  the  colors,  and  gold  and  ginseng  hunters.  There  is 
something  almost  comical  about  some  of  the  doings  of  this 
unpromising  community.  ^ 

It  comprises  large  organized  bands  of  mounted  brigands 
well  led  and  armed,  who  do  not  hesitate  to  come  into  collision 

at  t^-me!       'T'     r^^P''  ^^'^"'"^'^  ^°™'"g  ««■  "^'^^'ors,  and 

hLr     n  I  """"  '"  ^"^'^'"'  ^^^^^'"g  f^^ts  from  their 

hands.      During  the  Taiping  rebellion,   when   the  Chinese 

troops  were  withdrawn  from  Manchuria,  these  bands  carried 

vmres^'ruledT  "."'"T'  "^'  "'""^  "P°"  ^^^^  ^^^ 
villages,  ruled  them  by  right  of  conquest ! '    In  recent  years 

the  Government  has  decided  to  let  voluntary  colonists  settle 
m  the  northern  provinces,  and  has  even  furnished  them  with 
material  assistance. 

Still,  things  are  bad,  and  the  brigands  have  come  to  be  re- 
Information  received  by  the  Russian  Diplomatic  Mission  in  Peking. 


Deported  to  Manchuria 


189 


garded  as  a  necessary  evil,  and  are  '•  arranged  with  "  Tliev 
are  not  scrupulous  as  to  human  life,  and  when  they  catch  I 
r.ch  merchant  from  the  .outh.  they  send  an  envoy  to  his  guild 
with  a  claim  for  ransom,  strengthened  by  the  threat  that  if  it 

be  cul  off"  r?  '\'"  T'  ^''''  ''''  ^^P''^^'^  head  will 
be  cut  off     Winter,  when  the  mud  is  frozen  hard,  is  the  only 

tune  for  the  transit  of  goods  by  land,  and  long  trains  of  mule 
cart,  may  hen  be  seen,  a  hundred  or  more  together,  starting 
from  Newchwang  Mukden,  and  other  southern  ci/ies,  each 
carrying  a  small  flag,  which  denotes  that  a  suitable  blackmail 
has  been  paid  to  an  agent  of  the  brigand  chiefs,  and  that  they 
will  not  be  robbed  on  the  journey  !  Later,  when  I  was  on' 
the  Siberian  frontier  of  Manchuria,  the  brigands  were  in  great 
force  and  having  been  joined  by  half-starved  deserters  from 
the  Chinese  army,  were  harrying  the  country,  and  the  peasants 
were  flying  in  terror  from  their  farms. 

Among  the  curious  features  of  Manchurian  brigandage  is 
that  Its  virulence  rises  or  falls  with  good  or  bad  harvests,  fnin- 
dations,  etc.      For  many  of  the  usually  respectable  peas  nt 
farmers,  i„  times  of  floods  and  scanty  crops,  join  the  robbe 
bands,  returning  to  their  honest  avocations  L  iext  seaso7 

In  spite,  however,  of  this  terrorism  in  the  northeast,  Man- 
churia IS  one  of  the  most  prosperous  of  the  Chinese  v  ceroy. 

rm;:;tater  '°^^'^" ''-'- '-  -^-"•^-^  ---"^  '•— -^ 

I  was  disappointed  to  find  that  the  Manchus  (or  Tartars) 
tloJT^  ""!  T  °^  ^'''''^^'^S,  through  which,  with  certain  excep- 

ton.  '  TT"""'  '"'  ''  ""'"^  ^"^^'^'  -'''^  a  totaUonnage  of  334  7.^ 
28  per  cent,  of  the  whole  "^  ''"''""^  '"  ^^^i  to 


I 


•    I. 


W, 


m 


IQO 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


differ  little  in  appearance  from  the  race  which  they  have  sub- 
dued. The  women,  however,  are  taller,  comlier,  and  more 
robust  in  appearance,  as  may  be  expected  from  their  retaining 
the  natural  size  and  shape  of  their  feet,  and  not  only  their 
coiffure  but  their  costume  is  different,  the  Manchu  women 
wearing  sleeveless  dresses  from  tiie  throat  to  the  feet,  over 
under  dresses  with  wide  embroidered  sleeves.  With  some  ex- 
ceptions, they  are  less  secluded  than  their  Chinese  sisters,  and 
have  an  air  of  far  greater  freedom. 

Most  of  the  Manchu  customs  have  disappeared  along  with 
the  language,  which  is  only  spoken  in  a  few  remote  valleys, 
and  is  apparently  only  artificially  preserved  because  the  ruling 
dynasty  is  Manchu.  It  is  only  those  students  who  are  aspir- 
ants for  literary  degrees  and  high  office  in  the  viceroyalty  who 
are  obliged  to  learn  it. 

People  of  pure  Manchu  race  are  chiefly  met  with  i  v  he 
north.  Manchus,  as  kinsmen  of  the  present  Imperial  dynasty, 
enjoy  various  privileges.  Every  male  adult,  as  soon  as  he  can 
string  a  short  and  remarkably  inflexible  bow  (no  easy  task), 
becomes  a  "Bannerman,"  i.e.  he  is  enrolled  in  one  of  eight 
bodies  of  irregulars,  called  "Banners"  from  their  distinctive 
flags,  and  from  that  time  receives  one /rttf/( now  about  three 
shillings)  per  month,  increased  to  from  five  to  seven  taels  a 
month  when  on  active  service.  These  "Bannermen,"  as  a 
rule,  are  not  specially  reputable  characters.  They  gamble, 
hang  about  yamens  for  odd  bits  of  work,  in  hope  of  permanent 
official  employment,  and  generally  sublet  to  the  Chinese  the 
lands  which  they  receive  from  the  Government. 

It  is  a  singular  anomaly  that  bows  and  arrows  are  relied 
upon  as  a  means  of  defence  in  an  empire  which  buys  rifles  and 
Krupp  guns.  Later,  in  Peking,  which  was  supposed  to  be 
threatened  by  the  Japanese  armies,  it  was  intended  to  post 
Bannermen  with  bows  and  arrows  at  the  embrasures  of  the 
wall,  and  on  the  Peking  and  Tungchow  road  I  met  twenty 
carts  carrying  up  loads  of  these  primitive  weapons  for  the  de- 


•  w 


Deported  to  Manchuria  loi 

fence  of  the  capital !  Bow  and  arrow  drill  is  one  of  the  most 
amusing  of  the  many  military  mediaival  sights  of  China. 
The  Chinese  Bannermen  are  descendants  of  those  Chinese 
who,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  espoused  the  cause  of  tiie 
Manchu  conquerors  of  China.  The  whole  military  force  of 
the  three  provinces  of  the  viceroyalty  is  280,000  men.  Tartar 
garrisons  and  •«  Tartar  cities  "  exist  in  many  of  the  great  pro- 
vincial cities  of  China,  and  as  the  interests  of  these  troops  are 
closely  bound  up  with  those  of  the  present  Tartar  dynasty, 
their  faithfulness  is  relied  upon  as  the  backbone  of  Imperial 
security. 

From  its  history  and  its  audacious  and  permanent  conquest 
of  its  gigantic  neighbor,  its  mixed  population  and  numerous 
aboriginal  tribes,  its  mineral  and  agricultural   wealth,  and  a 
certain  freedom  and  breeziness  which  constitute  a  distinctive 
feature,  Manchuria  is  a  very  interesting  viceroyalty,  and  the 
two  months  which  I  spent  in  it  gave  it  a  strong  hold  upon  me. 
Mud  is  a  great  feature  of  Newchwang,  perhaps  the  leading 
feature  for  some  months  of  the  year,  during  which  no  traffic 
by  road  is  possible,  and  the  Bund  is  the  only  practicable  walk. 
The  night  I  arrived  rain  began,  and  continued  with  one  hour's 
cessation  for  five  days  and  nights,  for  much  of  the  time  com- 
ing down  like  a  continuous  thundershower.     The  atmosphere 
was  steamy  and  hazy,  and  the  mercury  by  day  and  night  was 
pretty  stationary  at  78°.     About  8.46  inches  of  rain  fell  on 
those  days.     The  barometer  varied  from  29°  to  29.3°.  After- 
wards, when  the  rain  ceased  for  a  day,  the  heat  was  nearly 
unbearable.     Of  course,  no  boat's  crew  would  start  under  such 
ciicnmstances.      Rumors  of  an   extensive    inundation    came 
down  the  river,  but  these  and  all  others  of  purely  local  interest 
gave  place  to  an  intense  anxiety  as  to  whether  war  would  be 
declared,  and  what  the  effect  of  war  would  be  on  the  great 
trading  port  of  Newchwang. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A    MANCHURIAN    DELUGE— A   PASSENGER    CART AN    ACCIDENT 

IT  surprised  me  much  to  find  that  only  one  foreign  resident 
had  visited  Mukden,  which  is  only  120  miles  distant  by  a 
road  which  is  traversable  in  winter,  and  is  accessible  by  river 
during  the  summer  and  autumn  in  from  eight  to  ten  days.  I 
left  Newchwang  on  the  3rd  of  July,  and  though  various  cir- 
cumstances were  unpropitious,  reached  Mukden  in  eight  days, 
being  able  to  avoid  many  of  the  windings  of  the  Liau  by  sail- 
ing  over  an  inundation. 

The  kindly  foreign  community  lent  me  necessaries  for  the 
journey,  but  even  with  these  the  hold  of  a  "pea-boat"  was 
not  luxurious.  My  camp-bed  took  up  the  greater  part  of  it, 
and  the  roof  was  not  much  above  my  head.  The  descent  into 
the  hold  and  the  ascent  were  difficult,  and  when  wind  and 
rain  obliged  me  to  close  the  front,  it  was  quite  dark,  cock- 
roaches swarmed,  and  the  smell  of  the  bilge  water  was  horri- 
ble. I  was  very  far  from  well  when  I  started,  and  in  two  days 
was  really  ill,  yet  I  would  not  have  missed  the  special  interest 
of  that  journey  for  anything,  or  its  solitude,  for  Wong's  lim- 
ited English  counted  for  nothing  and  involved  no  conversa- 
tional effort. 

For  some  distance  above  Newchwang  or  Ying-tzu,  as  far  as 
the  real  Newchwang,  there  is  a  complication  of  muddy  rivers 
hurrying  through  vast  reed  beds,  the  resort  of  wild  fowl,  with 
here  and  there  a  mud  bank  with  a  mud  hovel  or  two  upon  it. 
At  that  time  reed  beds  and  partially  inundated  swamps 
stretched  away  nearly  to  the  horizon,  which  is  limited  in  the 
far  distance  by  the  wavy  blue  outline  of  some  low  hills. 

19a 


A  Manchurian  Deluge  iq'i 

We  ran  up  the  river  till  the  evening  of  the  second  day  be- 
fore a  fair  wind,  and  then  were  becahned  on  a  reedy  expanse 
swarming  with  mosquitos.  The  mercury  was  at  89  '  in  tlie 
hold  that  night.  I  had  severe  fever,  with  racking  pains  in  my 
head,  back,  and  limbs,  and  in  the  morning  the  stamping  of 
the  junkmen  to  and  fro,  along  the  narrow  strip  of  deck  out- 
side the  roof,  was  hardly  bearable.  Wong  had  used  up  the 
ample  supply  of  water,  and  there  was  nothing  wherewith  to 
quench  thirst  but  the  brown,  thick  water  of  the  Liau,  the  tea 
made  with  which  resembled  peasoup. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  it  began  to  rain  and  blow, 
and  for  the  next  awful  four  days  the  wind  and  rain  never 
ceased.     The  oiled  paper  which  had  been  tacked  over  the  roof 
of  the  boat  was  torn  into  strips  by  the  violence  of  the  winds, 
which  forced  the  rain  through  every  chink.     I  lay  down  that 
night  with  the  mercury  at  80°,  woke  feeling  very  cold,  but, 
though  surprised,  fell  asleep  again.     Woke  again  much  colder, 
feeling  as  if  my  feet  were  bandaged  together,  extricated  myself 
with  difficulty,  struck  a  light,  and  got  up  into  6  inches  of  a 
mixture  of  bilge  water  and  rain  water,  with  an  overpowering 
stench,  in  or  on  which  all  things  were  sunk  or  floating.     Won- 
dered again  at  being  so  very  cold,  found  the  temperature  at 
84°,  and  that  I  had  been  sleeping  under  a  wringing  sheet  in 
soaked  clothing  and  on  soaked  sacking,  under  a  soaked  mos- 
quito net,  and  that  there  was  not  a  dry  article  in  the  hold. 
For  the  next  three  days  and  nights  things  remained  in  the 
same  condition,  and  though  I  was  really  ill  I  had  to  live  in 
wet  clothing  and  drink  the  "  liquid  cholera  "  of  the  flood,  all 
the  wells  being  submerged. 

Telegrams  later  in  the  English  papers  announced  "  Great 
floods  in  Manchuria,"  but  of  the  magnitude  of  the  inundation 
which  destroyed  for  that  season  the  magnificent  crops  of  the 
great  fertile  plain  of  the  Liau,  and  swept  away  many  of  its 
countless  farming  villages,  only  the  experience  of  sailing  over 
it  could  give  any  idea. 


I'; 


fli 


ClAt 


194  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

In  that  miserable  night  there  were  barkings  of  dogs,  shouts 
of  men,  mew.ngs  of  cats,  and  general  noises  of  unreft  and  in 
the  morn.ng  of  the  village  of  Plengdo  opposite  to  which  we 
had  moored  the  evening  before,  only  one  h^c^^se  and  a  ba     re! 
mained,  wh.ch  were  shortly  carried  away.     Many  of  the  peo- 
pie  had  escaped  in  boats,  and  the  remainder,  with  their  owls 
dogs,  and  cats,  were  in  the  spreading  branches  of  a  large  t^ee 
Although  the  mast  of  my  boat  was  considerably  in  the  way 
and  n  ,,,3  d.fficult  to  make  fast,  I  succeeded  i,f  resc^  the 
whole  menagene  and  in  transferring  it  in  two  trips  to  a  vHl  ge 
on  the  other  s.de,  which  was  then  5  feet  above  the  water.     ' 
We  had  reached  the  most  prosperous  region  of  Manchuria 
a  plam  60  m.les  .n  length,  of  deep,  rich  alluvial  soil,  b  ar    g 
splendid  crops,  the  most  lucrative  of  which  are  the  iean,  thf 
0.1  from  which  ,s  the  staple  export  of  the  country,  the  oiil 
poppy,  and  tobacco.     The  great  and  small  millet,'wheatTa" 
ey,  melons,  and  cucumbers  cover  the  ground,  mulber^' trees 
for  the  s,  kworm  surround  the  farmhouses,  and  the  great  plaTn 
IS  an  Idyll  of  bounteousness  and  fertility.     Of  all' h  s  ^^  a 
trace  remamed,  except  in  a  few  instances  the  tops  of  18  feet 

tTi^lVT'l  '"  P^°P'^  "°^  °"'^  withLd,  but Vuh 
fuel,  and  fodder  for  their  animals 

The  river  bank  burst  during  the  night,  and  the  waters  were 

roofed  village,  which  the  evening  before  stood  among  its Tu 
low  and  poplar  trees.  At  n  a  fair  wind  sprang  Tilt 
gan  to  move,  and  my  boatmen,  wh.  VM  talked  f'r  "n^ng 
untied  and  moved  too.     After  an  exciting  scene  at  a  bend 

ZZl^V     u'"7r  P'^^'^  °"^  "^^^^^d  -"^^-e  after 

and  their  fo  f  °' J'°""^  ''''''  ^^^"^''^^-     ^he  people 

and  the.r  fowls  were  in  the  trees.     The  women  clung  to  their 

fowl    as  much  as  to  their  babies.     Dugouts,  scows,  a' da  few 

junks,  mine  among  them,  were  busy  saving  life   and  LVnZ 

three  families  and  their  fowls  to  Sho-L  Ku,':tg:trk  ^t 


A  Manchurian  Deluge 


^11 


»95 

where  a  number  of  houses  were  still  standing.     These  families 

P  gs,  and  dogs.     On  our  way  we  sailed  into  a  farmyard  to  trJ 

numped  one  of  the  undermined  walls  down.     It  was  a  Iam<^ 
f  rmhouse  and  full  of  refugees.     The  water  was  3  feet  de  '  L 

-  =;r,;-- rJ:f  rx'"  t''^ 

beasts.  ^  ^  ^"  *^^""  ^''ops  and  their 

A  fearful  sight  presented  itself  at  Sho-wa  K,,      tu       .u 

over  the  fas.  dissolving  homl  *  '"'"'''  '^"'' 

-re ,™,,.  .p.Tiv:„:ir„'  .^,^-^2;^,:-,t'r' 

of  a  tremendous  rush  of  water  where  a  hT.  ^    J    .'^^  ^'^^P^ 
There  we  were  comnellel  L  W       ?  ''""^  ^'^'"  ^"^y- 

afternoon.     The  vS  hfd  I J     '°  r    ?  "^''^"  '"  ''^^  ^"'^^ 

Delude  "  fr^r  ,u      •  J  ^    •     -^^  '"'g'^t  have  been  "  the 

JJeluge,     for  the  windows  of  heaven  were  onened     Th. 
a  muddy,  rolling  sea  anH  ,  Ki    i    ,     ^°P^"^^-    There  were 
rain,  and  the  fo  Le  nf^l       m     ',^'  ^''^  ^"'^  tremendous 

sugg'estive  c^^^:^^:^^z'T''''  T  ^^°"^ 

been  destroyed  by  the  devouwl;  v^ate'l;''  "  ^'"  ""^'^  '^' 

In  13  miles  just  one  habitation  remain«>d  cf,.^; 
handsome  .Wc.  „o.e  >vi,H  e^rancr^r^rrrcu^^ 


M 


m 


s  \  '■ 


III 


•  • 


!i  ; 


•u 


196  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

roofs  large  farm  buildings,  and  many  servants'  houses  some 
of  which  were  toppling,  and  others  were  submerged  uoTo 
hejr  roofs  There  was  a  lookout  on  the  principa  roof  anS  he 
ha.lcd  us,  but  as  there  were  several  scows  about  enough  to 
-ve  hfe,  I  disregarded  him,  and  we  sailed  on  2  th: 
tempestuous  solitude  where  we  anchored 

The  day  darkened  slowly  into  night,' the  junk  rolled  with 
short  plungmg  rolls,  the  rain  fell  more  tremendously  tha.) 
ever,  and  the  strong  wind,  sweeping  through  the  rigg  fg  "^^ 

roof     rl^^^^^^  ^'''  T^°^"^^  ^'^  ^'-'-  --he 

Ind  it  wl,-  M    ''''  ""'  '^'PP'^  ^^°^"^d  t>>^  charcoal, 

and  It  was  mipossible  to  make  tea  or  arrowroot.     The  rain 

dripped  everywhere  through  the  roof.     My  lamp  splutteTed 

and  went  out  and  could  not  be  relighted,  bedding  ^d"h 

Z"""'"'  "^  '''  ^^^^'^  '"^  ^'^^  -^-'  ^he  noise  was 

Never  in  all  my  journeys  have  I  felt  so  solitary     I  real 

;zed  that  no  other  foreigrxer  was  travelling  in  Manchuria  tht 

there  was  no  help  in  illness,  and  that  the'e  was  nothh  g  ^^^^^^^^^ 

tThett!:r'"^ ''  "^"^"^'  ^^"'^^^ ''  ^'-^^^  ^-!^  ^"- 

Changed.  The  sky  was  blue  and  cloudless,  there  was  a  cool 
norU.  wmd  and  the  waste  of  water  dimpled  and  glittered  the 
boken  sparkle  of  its  mimic  waves  suggesting  the  L  n  aft'e^^a 
destructive  storm  has  become  a  calm.  Ifter  sailiL  over 
broad  blue  water  all  day,  and  passing  '« islands  "  on  which  tie 
luckier  villages  were  still  standing,  towards  evening  we  sai  ed 

«reatlv     Zf  ^^em,  which,  being  of  brick,  haa  not  suffered 

were  in  ^^^Z  V^"  ''''"'  '^'  dis.p^are6.  and  others 
were  m  process  of  disappearing.     The  gardens,  farmyards 
and  open  spaces  were  under  5  feet  of  water,  the  surfece  of 
whicw     covered  by  a  bubbly  scum.     The  h^^ses  and "Ll 
were  ,n  the  rooms  of  the  brick  houses  where  many  human  l^! 


•  > 


)     "' 


•  • 


A  Manchurian  Deluge 


)     < 


197 

[efllj^l,  *""'"  Z'^"^'-     ^  ''^'  '"'^^  °f  ^^''"'"^  implements 
ierned  the  people  among  the  few  remaining  dwellings 

At  that  farm  the  skipper  brought  a  quantity  of  rice  for  his 
family,  and  by  a  lovely  moonlight  we  sailed  over  the  drowned 
country  to  his  village.     The  flood  currents  were  strong,  and 
when  we  got  there  we  were  driven  against  two  undermined 
houses  and  knocked  them  down,  afterwards  drifting  into  a  road 
with  fine  trees  which  entangled  the  mast  and  sail,  and  our 
stern  bumped  down  the  wall  of  the  road,  and  the  current  car- 
ried u,  ,„to  a  square  of  semi-submerged  houses,  and  eventu- 
ally we  got  ,nto  the  skipper's  garden,  and  saw  his  family 
mounted  on  tables  and  chairs  on  the  top  of  the  Jtanz 

Two  uneventful  days  followed.  The  boatmen  wer;  in  cease- 
less dread  of  pirates,  and  I  was  so  ill  that  I  felt  I  would  rather 
die  than  make  another  effort. 

Arriving  within  3  miles  of  Mukden,  Wong  engaged  a  pas- 
senger cart  a  conveyance  of  the  roughest  deLiptio'n,  wh'ch 
s  only  rendered  tolerable  by  having  its  back,  sides,  anlbot 
ton.  padded  wuh  mattresses,  and  I  was  destitute  of  everything  f 
No  hmg    can  exaggerate  the  horror,  of  an  unameiioratfd 
Chinese  cart  on  an  infamous  road.     Down  into  ruts  2  feet 
deep,  out  of  which  three  fine  mules  could  scarcely  extricate 
us,  over  hillocks  and   big  gnarled  roots  of  trees^through 
quagmires  and  bnnked  ditches,  where,  in  dread  of  the  awTul 
in  ^^f  '?     'V'"  ""'"  -^king  a  non-simultaneous  jump 
«ett    :  IT  "  ''  '  ".''  ^^  "^^^'''  "  '^'-  '^  -y  ^-t  hour,' 
sptks'  so   r^  ?  7    "'  "''^'^  "^^'^  -^  -^  -  ^'^-er  of 

clav    7;/  n,  I  '"  ''^'  °'  ^'"  °"^^'-  -»  °f   l^eaten 

Clay  XX J4  milcs  in  circuit  which  surrounds  the  second  city  of 

the  empire.     Then,  through  a  quagmire  out  of  which  we  wer 

dragged  by  seven  mules,  I  bruised,   breathless,  and  in  gr    ! 

pa.n.  and  up  a  bank  where  the  cart  turned  over,  pu  led  t  .e 

myself  ,n  the  roof  with  the  cameras  on  the  top  of  me  and  my 
nght  arm  twisted  under  me,  a  Chinese  crowd  c'u rious  to  ^e  the 


m 


^^m 


■  >.*< 


198  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

dazed  brain,  and  Wong  raging  at  large !     Then  followed  a 

house'  Td';  R    'T  "'•'  '°""^'  ^  '^^^"y  -^--  «'  ^1- 
house  of  Dr.  Ross,  the  senior  missionary  of  the  Scotch  U  P 

Church,  sweet  homelike  rooms  in  a  metamorphosed  Chinese 

house,  a  large  shady  bedroom  replete  with  comforts,  the  in 

medmte  arnval  of  Dr.  Christie,  the  medical  missionary,  who 

ness   ,n  wh,ch  the  horrors  of  the  hold  of  the  "  pea-boat  "  and 

the    o  'f^r    Z    "'"':'"''^"  '""'^  only  served' to  emphasize 
the  comfort  and  propitiousness  of  my  surroundings. 


Ui 


::fe<-  .» 


#^K;-.v 


PASSENGER  CART,  MUKDEjnS. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


MUKDEN   AND   ITS   MISSIONS 

T\/TUKDEN  Stands  at  an  altitude  of  ,60  feet  above  the 
iVl    sea,  in  Lat.  41°  51'  N.  and  Long.  123°  ^f  £.,  in  the 
centre  of  an  immense  alluvial  plain,  bearing  superb  crops  ad 
bberally  spnnkled  with  farming  villages  embowered  in  wood 
a  wavy  hne  of  low  blue  hills  at  a  great  distance  limiting  th; 
honzon      It  ,s  3  miles  from  the  Hun-ho,  a  tributary  o?  the 
L  au,  and  with.n  Its  outer  wall  idles  along  the  silvery  Siao-ho 
or     small  nver,"  with  a  long  Bund  affording  a  delightful 
promenade  and  an  airy  position  for  a  number  of  handsome 
houses,  the  residences  of  missionaries  and  mandarins,  with 

tWH  7      r     "T.  ''''''  ^^'■^"S'^  "'^■■^'^  g"-P-  -e  ob- 
tained of  gardens  and  flowering  plants  and  pots.     This  city  of 

260,000  inhabitants,  owing  to  its  connection  with  the  reignine 

dynasty,  ,s  the  second  city  officially  in  the  empire,  and  the 

Peking  j«  boards"  with  one  exception  are  nominally  dnpli 

Tartar  or  ,      r'^n'  ^"°*  °"'^  '^^  "^  ^'■"^>'  ''  Chinese  and 
iTrZ      T  ^'"^'''  ^""^  "  ^''^'  ^^^'^^"^  P°P">-tion  of 

retired  and  expectant  mandarins,  living  in  handsome  houses 
and  making  a  great  display  in  the  streets.  There  is  an  in- 
cessant movement  of  mule  carts,  the  cabs  of  Mukden,  with 
their  superb  animals  and  their  blue  canopies  covering  both 
mule  and  driver,  official  mule  carts  driven  at  a  trot,  wifh  four 
or  more  outriders  with  white  hats  and  red  plumes,  private 
carts  belonging  to  young  mandarin  swells,  who  give  daily  en- 
tertainments  at  a  restaurant  on  the  Bund,  mandarins  on  horse- 
back with  runners  clearing  the  way,  carts  waiting  for  "lotus 
viewers,"  tall,  "big-footed"  women  promenading  with  their 

199 


ih- 


200 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


children  their  hair  arranged  in  loops  on  silver  frames  and 
decorated  with  flowers,  hospital  patients  on  stretchers  and  in 
chairs,  men  selling  melons  and  candies,  and  beggars  who  by 
blowing  through  a  leaf  imitate  the  cry  of  nearly  every  bird 
Then  in  the  summer  evenings,  when  the  mercury  has  fallen  to 
80  the  servants  of  rich  men  bring  out  splendid  ponies  and 
'es  and  walk  them  on  the  Bund,  and  there  come  the  crowds 
to  stare  at  the  foreigners  and  hang  round  their  gates.  The 
presence  of  well-dressed  women  is  a  feature  rare  in  the  East 

^n    I'fi    .    r"''^"""'^°"^-     At  night  the  dogs  bark, 
gun,  are  fired,  drums  and  gongs  are  beaten,  and  the  clappers 

AU  ':"*^J™^"  "^^1  ^^^h  other  in  making  night  hideous 
AH  this  life  lies  between  the  outer  wall  and  the  lofty  quad- 
rangular inner  wall.  3  miles  in  circuit,  built  of  brick,  flanked 
by  lofty  towers,  and  pierced  by  eight  gates  protected  by  lofty 
brick  bastions.     This  wall,  on  which  three  carriages  could 
drive  abreast,  protects  the  commercial  and  official  part  of  the 
city,  which  is  densely  crowded,  Mukden,  besides  being  a  great 
gram  emporium,  being  the  centre  of  the  Chinese  fur  t?ade 
which  attracts  buyers  from  all  parts  of  the  world.     Fine  streets! 
though  full  of  humps  and  quagmires,  divide  the  city  into  nine 
wards  or  quarters,  the  central  quarter  being  Imperial  property 
and  containing  a  fine  palace  with  much  decorative  yellow 
tiling,  the  examination  hall,  and  a  number  of  palaces  and 
yam^m,  all  solidly  built.     To  my  thinking  no  Chinese  city  is 
so  agreeable  as  Mukden.     The  Tartar  capital  is  free  from  that 
atmosphere  of  decay  which   broods  over  Peking.     Its  wide 
streets  are  comparatively  clean.     It  is  regularly  built,  and  its 
fine  residences  are  well  kept  up.     It  is  a  busy  place,  and  does 
a  large  and  lucrative  trade,  specially  in  grain,  beans,  and  furs. 
It  has  various  industries,  which  inch.de  the  tanning  and  dress- 
ing of  furs  and  the  weaving  of  silk  stufiTs;   its  bankers  and 
merchants  are  rich,  and  it  has  great  commercial  as  well  as 
some  political  importance. 


f 


4 


Q 
S 

H 
< 

M 
H 


O 

a 
o 
o 

o 
u 
a. 


iff 
11  ■ 

111 


J: 


^  ! 


rf  ( 


II  II 


' 


Mukden  and  i^  Missions 


■»">.s.m  in  Pekin      'n°„,l'     ""  ""''  «  '!•=  actual 

re«  converge,  bordered  bT^Cl,^:'"'  8™"  "«„es  of 
feshwn  of  those  at  the  MiL,u.  "'  '"™*  ^'"r  the 
_f  Manchu  E.pero„  J^'e'l^^  "'"  ''""«•  ^orn-e^ 
'h«  »acred  city  of  their  dy„a^^^br«''  '"  "■=«  'ombs  and 
of  this  century  the  Chlne«  SL  .  "  ""  '"''""'  ^^ade 
«»' a'  intervals  in  solelTp^^S   Ht -'^  "»  >«»" 

-".  as  .heriCC  Ir^So""'  "'■•^«  '•"  »'"■«'".  a3 
-"".strator  and  by  the  PrSnT,  r".""""*  ^y  a  civil  ad- 
offices  of  State  are  MIed  X  1  ,vCH^''»-  "^'^  S'- 
and  cnm.nals  of  the  ,«  racesa  rtried  .^J"'"""'  *'^"'='""' 

The  favorable  reception  given  ,1  rt  l"."''!^™'  courts, 
features  of  Mukden.     The  iZZ    ?'"""'"  «  one  of  the 
«  «  */*««  everywhere      Tr*?^"'"'''^''"»«an  Church 
;.l.o  have  been  estlbh'w  th^    ff?"  ^- '"•  ""-onari^ 
f-ndly  tern,s  with  the  ^opt    f^  'r^T^  ^ea„,  are  „n' 
">e  mandarin,  and  high  officii ''*^'"'''' «'■■''>  "any  of 
regard  publicly  and  priatet  o„  all  '°  ''""'  """■  '*n'of 
•he  med,cal  missionary,  i,  fhet^Ln  ,'""'■    ^-  Christie. 
">ed,cal  adviser  of  n,a  /o    the  T!  ^    '"Z"  ^^  «"  a= 'he 
»"ves,  who,  with  every  ci°cul„        ^"^  '"*"'''»  and  their 
have  presented  compli„e„'av,!KT  "'  "^emonial  pomp 
Sether  the  relations'l.,:   ^^f^;^'"  '"'  '-P«al,  and  alto': 
are  untque.    I  attribute  the^  snecL" '7  '""  ""  ""•«!o„arie, 
Clares  partly  ,o  ,he  fac  thaTn?  ^       f' °"'  "'"•  ""  "PPer 

«-— arefultocXTbrrfa;^-- 


202 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


while  they  are  not  only  keen-sighted  for  the  good  that  is  in 
the  Chinese,  but  bring  the  best  out  of  them 

Thus  Christianity,  divested  of  the  nonchalant  or  contemp- 
tuous .nsularuy  by  which  it  is  often  rendered  repulsive  has 
made  consu  erable  progress  not  only  in  the  capitafb  tT^  Z 
provnce,  and  untd  the  roads  became  unsafe  there  was  scarcdy 
a  day  during  my  long  visit  in  which  there  were  not  deputa 
ons  from  d.stant  villages  asking  for  Christian  workers,    epe- 

rec;:e'd?:""r  'rf  ^^  ^"^'  -shippers,  who, 'iZ; 

receiver!  some  know  edce   of  CliricfiTiW,,  r 

o     "'  '-iiristianity  from  converts,  col- 

ti  s"a;d"d''^''';Tf"'  ""°""^"'  -nyidoiatrous  ^- 
cSti:;;^tts ':^^  tirT  w  "•  ^''-"^-^^^^ 
centage  Who  had  z^Va^jtri:^:^::^'^ 

U,ou,     d   ,,re   already   baptised,  and  nearly  as  many  aga  , 

ri  '"'"'""     ""'  '  view  to  baptism.    It  was  most  cu'ons 
to  see  men  commg  daily  from  remote  regions  asking  for  some 
on     to  go  and     nstruct   them   in   the  .'Jesus  doctrine,'Tor 
they  had  learned  as  much  as  they  could  without  a  teacher  "  In 
many  parts  of  Manchuria  there  are  now  Christian  communitie 
carryn.g  on  their  own  worship  and  discipline,  and  it  is  no 
wonhy  that  very  many  of  the  converts  are  members  of  those 
Secret  Socet.es  whose  strongest  bond  of  union  is  the  search 
after  righteousness. 

The  Mission  Hospital  is  one  of  the  largest  and  best  equipped 

.n  the  Far  East,  and  besides  doing  a  great  medical  and  surgi 

cal  work.  ,s  a  medical  school  in  which  students  pass  through  a 

four  years'  curriculum.     There  also  Dr.  Chrisde  gives  iUus 

rated  popular  scientific  lectures  in  the  winter,  whL  ar   a  - 

tended   among  others   by  a   number   of  sons  of  mandarins. 

Donations,  both  of  money  and  food,  are  contributed  to  this 

hospita    both  by  officials  and  merchants;  and  General  Tso  a 

most  charitable  man  and  beloved  by  the  poor,  only  the  night 

that  the  hospital  might  not  suffer  for  the  lack  of  it  during  his     * 


Ill 

p- 

le 

i- 


Mukden  and  its  Missions 


203 


absence.     Only  a  few  months  before  he  presented  it  with  a 
liandsome  tablet  and  subscription.' 
Even  in  so  civilized  a  city  as  Mukden,  with  its  schools  and 
^     literary  examinations,   its  thousands  of  literary  aspirants  to 
official  position,  its  streets  full  of  a  busy  and  splendid  official- 
ism,   its   enormous   trade,   its  banks  and  yatfifm,  its  20,000 
Mussulmans,  with  their  many  mosques,  and  hatred  of  the  pig, 
and  the  slow  interpenetration  of  enligiitened  Western  ideas,' 
Chinese  superstitions  of  the  usual  order,  well  known  by  every 
reader,  prevail. 

The  system  of  medicine,  though  it  contains  the  knowledge 
and  use  of  some  valuable  native  drugs  among  the  sixty  which 
are  exported,  is  in  many  respects  extremely  barbarous.     The 
doctors   have  no  operative   surgery   and  cannot  even  tie  an 
artery  !     They  use  cupping,  the  cautery,  and  acupuncture  hot 
or  cold,  with  long  coarse  uncleanly  needles,  with  which  they 
pie  je  the  liver,  joints,  and  stomach  for  pains,  sprains,  and 
rheumatism.     They  close  all  abscesses,   wounds,   and  ulcers 
•   with  a  black  impervious  plaster.     Witch  doctors  are  resorted 
to  in  cases  of  hysteria  or  mental  derangement.     Vaccination 
is  now  to  some  extent  adopted  with  calf  or  transferred  lymph, 
the  puncture  being  made  in  the  nostrils.     In  order  to  ascer- 
tain whether  a  sick  person  is  likely  to  live,  they  plunge  long 

'  General  Tso's  cavalry  brigade  was  perhaps  the  best  disciplined  in  the 
Chinese  army,  and  he  was  a  severe  disciplinarian,  but  he  was  also  an 
earnest  philanthropist,  and  though  a  strict  Mussulman,  always  showed 
himself  friendly  to  the  Christian  religion,  specially  in  its  benevolent  as- 
pects. His  soup  kitchens  saved  many  a  family  from  starvation.  He 
established  and  was  the  chief  support  of  a  foundling  hospital.  During 
the  terrible  inundation  of  1888  he  distributed  food  among  the  famisliing 
with  his  own  hands.  His  friendly  help  could  always  be  relied  on  by  the 
missionaries,  who  joined  in  the  sorrow  with  which  Manchuria  mourned 
for  his  premature  death  at  Phyong-yang  in  Korea.  The  benevolence  of 
rich  Chinese  ought  not  to  be  overlooked.  The  charities  of  China  are  on 
a  gigantic  scale,  and  many  of  them  are  admirably  administered  by  men 
who  expend  much  self-sacrificing  effort  on  their  administration. 


;  I 


it 


Hi 


*!    31 


i04  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

needles  into  the  body,  and  give  t,p  the  case  as  hopeless  if  blood 
does  not  flow.     When  death  is  near  the  friends  dress  the^ 
t-ent  .n  the  best  clothes  they  can  afford  and  remove  him  from 
the  kan^   the  usual  elevated  sleeping  place)  to  the  floor,  or  lay 
h.m  on  ashes.     As  the  spirit  departs  they  cry  loudly  in  the  ear 
In  connection  with  death,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  some  of 
the  most  stnk.ng  shops  in  Mukden,  after  the  coffin  shops,  are 
those  in  which  are  manufactured  and  sold  admirable  lifesize 
representations  of  horses,  men.  asses,  elephants,  carts,  and  all 
the  articles  of  luxury  of  this  life,  which  are  carried  in  procession 
and  are  burned  at  the  grave,  sometimes  to  the  value  of  ^i.ooo 

Few  children  under  nine  years  old  are  buried,  and  those\ 
only  among  the  richest  class.  When  death  occurs,  the  mother, 
wailing  bitterly,  wraps  the  body  in  matting,  and  throws  it 
away  t.e  she  places  it  where  the  dogs  can  get  at  it.  This 
ghastly  burden  must  not  be  carried  out  of  a  door  or  window, 
but  hrough  a  new  or  disused  opening,  in  order  that  the  evil 
spirit  wh^h  causes  the  disease  may  not  enter.  The  belief  is 
that  the  Heavenly  Dog  which  eats  the  sun  at  the  time  of  an 
eclipse  demands  the  bodies  of  children,  and   that   if  they 

^ustold'  "  ''"^  '^  ^^"   '^'"^   -^^^^"   -'-^^^  -   U.^ 
I  have  mentioned  the  kan^,  which  is  a  marked  feature  of  the 
houses  and  inns  of  Manchuria,  which  for  its  latitude  has  the 
coldest  winter  .n  the  world,  the  mercury  often  reaching  170 

LtHn       "T\     ^\"  '''"'  ''  ^  ^^'■^'^  P'^^^^'-'"  covered  with 
rnattmg  and    heated    economically   by   flues,  and  is  at  once 

sleeping  and  sitting  place.     The  stalks  of  the  Ifolcus  Sorghum 

are  used  for    uel      In  winter,  when  the  external  temperature 

may  be  a  little  above  and  much  below  zero  for  a  month  at  a 

tune,  the  Chinaman,  unable  to  heat  his  whole  room,  drops  his 

shoes,   mounts  his  kan^,  sits  crosslegged  on  the  warm   mat, 

covers  his  padded  socks  with  his  padded  robe,  and  there  takes 

his  meals  and  receives  his  friends  in  comfort.     When  I  was 

invited  to  climb  the  kang  I  felt  myself  a  peruana  grata 


J 


Mukden  and  its  Missions  205 

The  pawnshops  of  Mukden,  with  their  high  outer  walls 
of  y  gateways,  two  or  three  well-kept  courts,'r...e  buUci:::,' 
and  tall  stone  columns  at  the  outer  gate,  with  the  sign  of  the 
business  upon  them,  their  scrupulous  cleanliness,  and  thei 

wah  us.  They  demand  for  every  sum  borrowed  movable 
property  to  double  its  amount.  If  the  pledge  be  n„i  redeemed 
w.th.n  two  years,  it  falls  to  the  pawnbroker.  Government 
fixe,  te  interest.  The  proprietor  takes  the  same  position  a  a 
capuahst  owmng  a  bank  in  the  West,  and  a  sa,L.  distiller 
takes  an  equal  place  in  local  esteem. 

The  prevalence  of  suicide  is  a  feature  of  Mukden  as  of  most 
Chmese  c.t.es.     Certain  peculiarities  of  Chinese  justice  rele 
t  a  favorite  way  of  wreaking  spite  upon  an  employer  or  neigh 
bor   who  ,s  haunted  besides  by  the  spirit  of  the  self-murde^ 
Hence  servants  angry  with  their  masters,  shopmen  with  their 
employers  wjves  with  their  husbands,  and  above  all,  daughle 
.-law  wuh  their  mothers-. n -law,  show  their  spite  by  d  h^on 

matchLTT'  Tl''  ''  ^^'"'^'  °^  ^^''"^  ''^  tops'of'lufi a.; 
matches  !     It  .,  quue  a  common  thing  for  a  person  who  has  a 

grudge  against  another  to  go  and  poison  himself  in  his  c  urt 

next  by  the  haunting  terrors  of  his  malevolent  spirit      (oung 
girls  were  daily  poisoning  themselves  with  luciflr  matches  o 

reL  i:z.T.::r' "  -^-''■'-  -  ^-  -^- 

But  it  is  not  the  seamy  side  which  is  uppermost  in  Mukden. 


*  ''.  i 


Jil 


t 


4 


CHAPTER  XVII 

CHINESE  TROOPS  ON  THE  MARCH      ^ 

npHE  weeks  which  I  spent  in  Mukden  were  full  of  rumors 
X     and  excitement.     A  few  words  on  the  origin  of  the  war 
with  Japan  may  make  the  situation  intelligible. 

The  Tong-haks,  as  was  mentioned  in  chapter  xiii.,  had  on 
several  occasions  defeated  the  Royal  Korean  troops,  and  after 
much  hesitation  the  Korean  King  invoked  the  help  of  China 
China  replied  promptly  by  giving  Japan  notice  of  her  inten- 
tion to  send  troops  to  Korea  on  7th  June.  1894,  both  coun- 
tries, under  the  treaty  of  Tientsin,  having  equal  rights  to  do 
so  under  such  circumstances  as  had  then  arisen.     On  the  same 
day  Japan  announced   to  China  a  similar  intention      The 
Chinese  General,  Yi,  landed  at  A-san  with  3,000  men,  and 
the  Japanese  occupied  Chemulpo  and  Seoul  in  force. 

In  the  Chinese  despatch  Korea  was  twice  referred  to  as  "  our 
tributary  state."  Japan  replied  that  the  Imperial  Government 
had  never  recognized  Korea  as  a  tributary  state  of  China. 

I'hen  came  three  proposals  from  Japan  for  the  administra- 
tion of  Korea,  to  be  carried  out  jointly  by  herself  and  China 
Ihese  were_(i)  Examination  of  the  financial  administration  • 
(2)  Selection  of  the  central  and  local  officials ;  (3)  The  es- 
tablishment of  a  disciplined  army  for  national  defence  and  the 
preservation  of  the  peace  of  the  land. 

To  these  proposals  China  replied  that  Korea  must  be  left  to 
reform  herself,  and  that  the  withdrawal  of  the  Japanese  troops 
must  precede  any  negotiations,  a  suggestion  rejected  by  Japan 
who  informed  China  on  14th  July,  that  she  should  regard  the 
dispatch  of  any  more  troops  to  Japan  as  a  belligerent  act.     On 

206 


Chinese  Troops  on  the  March  207 

20th  July  Japan  demanded  that  the  King  of  Korea  should 

order  the  Chinese  troops  to  leave  the  country,  threatening 

decisive  measures  "  if  this  course  were  not  adopted 

Meanwhile,  at  the  request  of  the  King,  the  representatives 

Of  the  Treaty  Powers  were  endeavoring  to  maintain  peace, 

suggesting  the  simultaneous  withdrawal  of  the  troops  of  both 

countries.     To  this  China  agreed,  but  Japan  demanded  delay. 

and  on   23rd  July  took  the  "decisive  measure"  she  had 

threatened,  assaulted  and  captured  the  Palace,  and  practically 

made  the  King  a  prisoner,  his  father,  the  Tai-Won-Kun,  at 

his  request,  but  undoubtedly  at  Japanese  instigation,  takinc 

nominally  the  helm  of  affairs. 

After  this  events  marched  with  great  rapidity.     On  2Sth 
July  the  transport  Kowshing,  flying  the  British  flag  and  carry- 
ing 1,200  Chinese  troops,  was  sunk  with  great  loss  of  life  by 
tiie  Japanese  cruiser  Naniwa,  and  four  days  later  the  Japanese 
won  the  battle  of  A-san  and  dispersed  the  Chinese  army, 
^efore  30th  July  Korea  gave  notice  of  the  renunciation  of  the 
Conventions  between  herself  and  China,  which  was  equivalent 
to  renouncing  Chinese  sovereignty.     On  ist  August  war  was 
declared      Of  the  sequence  of  these  events,  and  even  of  the 
events  themselves,  we  knew  little  or  nothing,  and  up  to  the    X 
middle  of  July  Mukden  kept  "  the  even  tenor  of  its  way  " 

Manchuria  is  far  less  hostile  to  foreigners  than  the  rest  of 
China,  and  the  name  "devil"  may  even  be  used  as  a  polite 
address  with  the  prefix  of  "honorable  "  !    No  European  women 
had  previously  passed  through  the  gate  of  the  inner  wall  and 
through  the  city  on  foot,  but  I  not  only  was  able  to  do  so  with- 
out  niolestation,  though  several  times  only  attended  by  my  serv- 
ain.  but  actually  was  able  to  photograph  in  the  quieter  streets, 
the  curiosity  of  the  crowd  being  quite  friendly.     The  Scotch 
missionaries  had  then  been  established  in  Mukden  for  twenty- 
two  years,  were  on  very  friendly  terms  with  the  people,  there 
was  much  social  intercourse,  and  altogether  their  relations  with 
tne  Chinese  were  unique. 


!  i 


m 


lit: 
t  I- 


208 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


in 


Before  the  end  of  July,  however,  the  many  wild  rumors 
which  were  afloat,  and  the  continual  passage  of  troops  on  their 
way  to  Korea  (war  being  a  foregone  conclusion  before  it  was 
declared),  produced  a  general  ferment.  I  had  to  abandon 
peregrinations  in  the  city,  and  also  photography,  a  hostile 
crowd  having  mobbed  me  as  I  was  "  taking  "  the  Gate  of  Vic- 
tory, in  the  belief  that  I  kept  a  black  devil  in  the  camera,  with 
such  a  baleful  Cyclopean  eye  that  whatever  living  thing  it 
looked  on  would  die  within  a  year,  and  any  building  or  wall 
would  crumble  away  I 

After  war  was  declared  on  ist  August,  1894,  things  grew 
worse  rapidly.  As  Japan  had  full  command  of  the  sea,  all 
Chinese  troops  sent  to  Korea  were  compelled  to  march  through 
Manchuria,  and  undisciplined  hordes  of  Manchu  soldiers  from 
Kirin,  Tsitsihar,  and  othern  northern  cities  poured  through 
Mukden  at  the  rate  of  1,000  a  day,  having  distinguished  them- 
selves on  the  southern  march  by  seizing  on  whatever  they  could 
get  hold  of,  riotously  occupying  inns  without  payment,  beat- 
ing the  innkeepers,  and  wrecking  Christian  chapels,  not  from 
anti-Christian  but  from  anti  foreign  feeling.  Their  hatred  of 
foreigners  culminated  at  Liau-yang,  40  miles  from  Mukden, 
when  Manchu  soldiers,  after  wrecking  the  Christian  chapel, 
beat  Mr.  Wylje,  a  Scotch  missionary,  to  death,  and  attacked 
the  chief  magistrate  for  his  friendliness  to  the  "  foreign_devil5." 

Anti-foreign  feeling  rose  rapidly  in  Mukden.  The  servants 
of  foreigners,  and  even  the  hospital  assistants,  were  insulted 
in  the  town,  and  the  wildest  rumors  concerning  foreigners  were 
spread  and  believed.  The  friendly  auth:^rities,  who  took  the 
safety  of  the  three  mission  families  into  serious  consideration, 
requested  them  to  give  up  their  usual  journeys  into  the  interior, 
and  to  avoid  going  into  the  city  or  outside  the  walls.  Next 
the  "street  chapels"  were  closed,  the  native  Christians,  a  large 
body,  being  very  apprehensive  for  their  own  safety,  being  re- 
garded as  "  one  with  the  foreigners,"  who,  unfortunately,  were 
generally  supposed  to  be  "  the  same  as  the  Japanese." 


y\ 


p 
u 

>-■ 

a: 

o 

U 


O 

u 

C 


■ill 


3  its 


I  \ 


Chinese  Troops  on  the  March  209 

The  perils  of  the  roads  increased.     Not  a  cart  or  animal  was 
to  be  seen  near  them.     The  great  inns  were  closed  or  had  their 
shutters  wrecked,  and  the  villages  and  farms  were  deserted 
All  tracks  converging  on  Mukden  were  thronged  with  troops 
not  marchirg,  but  straggling  along  anyhow,  every  tenth  man 
carrying  a  great  silk  banner,  but  few  were  armed  with  modern 
weapons.     I  saw  several  regiments  of  fine  physique  without  a 
rifle  among  them  !     In  some,  gingalls  were  carried  by  two  men 
each,  others  were  armed  with  antique  muzzle-loading  muskets 
very  rusty,  or  with  long  matchlocks,  and  some  carried  only 
spears,  or  bayonets  fixed  on  red  poles.    All  were  equipped  with 
such  umbrellas  and  fans  as  I  saw  some  time  later  in  the  ditches 
of  the  bloody  field  of  Phyong-yang.     It  was  nothing  but  mur- 
der  to  send  thousands  of  men  so  armed  to  meet  the  Japanese 
with  their  deadly  Murata  rifles,  and  the  men  knew  it,  for  when 
they  happened  to  see  a  foreigner  they  made  such  remarks  as. 

This  IS  one  of  the  devils  for  whom  we  are  going  to  be  shot  "  \ 
and  when  a  large  party  of  them,  in  attempting  to  make  a  for- 
cible entry  mto  the  Governor-General's  palace,  were  threat- 
ened  by  the  guard  with  being  shot,  the  reply  was,  "  We  are 
going  to  be  shot  in  Korea,  we  may  as  well  be  shot  here  "  ' 

The  nominal  pay  of  soldiers  is  higher  than  that  of  laborers 
and  It  was  only  after  the  defeat  and  the  great  slaughter  at  A-san 
that  there  was  any  unwillingness  to  enter  the  ranks.     The  uni 
form  IS  easy,  but  unfit  for  hard  wear,  and  very  stagey_a  short 
loose,  sleeved  red  cloak,  bordered  with  black  velvet,  loose 
blue,  black,  or  apricot  trousers,  and  long  boots  of  black  cotton 
cloth  with  thick  soles  of  quilted  rag.     The  discipline  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  some  regiments  of  fine  physique 
straggled  through  Mukden  for  the  seat  of  war  carrying  rusty 
muskets  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  poles  with  perches,  on 
which  singing  birds  were  loosely  tethered  !     The  men  fell  out 
of  the  ranks  as  they  pleased,  to  buy  fruit  or  tobacco  or  to 
speak  to  friends.     Yet  they  made  a  goodly  scenic  display  in 
their  brilliant  coloring,  with  their  countless  long  banners  of 


210 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


'lf 


crimson  silk  undulating  in  the  breezy  sunshine,  and  their  offi 
.ta"  '"'  "'■=  ""'  ^^"°"  J^'""^  riding  Lide 

Those  who  had  rifles  and  modern  weapons  at  all  had  them 
of  all  makes;  so  cartridges  of  twenty  different  sorts  and  si™ 
were  huddled  together  without  any  attempt  at  classMcat  on 
and  m  one  open  space  all  sorts  were  heaped  on  the<tround 
and  the  soldiers  were  fitting  them  to  their  arms    some"  m'; 
trying  e,gh.  or  ten  before  finding  one  to  suit  the  >  eaj^n  and 
th  owtng  them  back  on  the  heap  I     There  were  neither  ^. 
c^    arrangements  nor  an  ambulance  corps,  Chinese  custom 

X    f    o'L  "  Te"^"  '"'  '''-'  '"^■"'  """"""'  - 
»ffl       ?  u  ^  commissariat  was  not  only  totally  in- 

efficjen    but  grossly  dishonest,  and  where  stores  had  acc'm;. 
ated  the  contractors  sold  them  for  their  own  benefit      Thus 
there  was  httle  provision  of  food  or  fodder  in  advance,  and  in 
a  very  short  t.me  the  soldiers  were  robbing  at  large,  Ind  eat- 
ing the  horses  and  transport  mules.    The  Chinese  soldiers  bad 
as  the,r  drill  and  discipline  are,  are  regarded  by  Europe  n  offi 
cars  as  '« excellent  material,"  but  the  Manchus  of  t'lTol 
(lartars)  are  a  shambling,  disorderly,  insubordinate  horde 
dreaded  by  peaceable  citizens,  presuming  on  their  Imperial' 
relationship,  and  in  disturbed  times  little  better  than  licensed 

Among  the  first  troops  to  leave  the  city  was  the  Fengtien 
Chinese  br^ade  of  cavalry  5,000  strong,  under  General  Tso. 
a  brave  and  experienced  officer,  who  was  at  oncelfei^ij^ 
trusted  so  that  when  he  fell  with  his  face  to  the  foe  at  Phyong- 
yang.  his  loss  demoralized  the  army,  and  the  Japanese  showed 
the,r  appreciation  of  him  by  erecting  an  obelisk  to  his  mem- 
S./"  ^''S:ade  was  in  a  state  of  strict  discipline,  admirably 
drilled    and  on  the  whole  well  armed.     The  troopers  were 
mounted  on  active,  well-built  ponies,  a  little  over  '3  hand 
high,  up  to  great  weight.     After  leaving  Mukden  they  were 
entangled  in  a  quagmire  which  extended  for  100  miles,  and 


CHINESE  SOLDIERS 


=i^- 


Chinese  Troops  on  the  March  211 

the  telegrams  of  disaster  were  ominous.  On  tlie  first  day  their 
commander  beheaded  six  n.en  for  talking  melons  without  pay- 
ment, and  on  the  second  fourteen  were  decapitated  for  deser- 
tion. 

After  General  Tso's  departure  with  his  disciplined  force  the 
disorder  increased,  and  tiie  high  officials,  being  left  with  few 
reliable  soldiers,  became  alarmed  for  their  own  positions,  the 
hatred  and  jealousy  between  the  Chinese  and  Manchu  troops 
not  only  constituting  one  of  the  great  difficulties  of  the  war 
but  threatening  official  safety. 

Rumors  of  disaster  soon  began  to  circulate,  and  with  each 
one  the  ferment  increased,  and  an  Imperial  proclamation  sent 
by  courier  from  Peking  in  the  interests  of  foreigners,  declar- 
ing  that  tlie  Emperor  was  only  at  war  with  the  "  rebel  wojen  " 
(dwarfs),  and  was  at  peace  with  all  other  nations,  did  little  to 
allay  It.     The  able-bodied  beggars  and  unemployed  coolies  in 
the  city  were  swept  into  the  army,  and  were  sent  off  after  three 
weeks  drill.     Themule-cartsof  Mukden  and  the  neighborhood 
were  requisitioned  for  transport,  paralyzing  much  of  the  trade 
of  the  city.     Later,  many  of  these  carts  were  burned  as  fuel 
to  cook  the  mules  for  the  starving  troops.   As  Manchu  soldiers 
continued  to  pour  in,  the  shops  were  closed  and  the  streets 
deserted  at  their  approach,  and  many  of  the  merchants  fled  to 
the  hills.     A  Japanese  occupation,  ensuring  security  and  order, 
came  to  be  hoped  for  by  many  sufferers.     The  price  of  pro! 
visions  rose,  because  the  country  people  had  either  been  robbed 
of  all  or  did  not  dare  to  bring  them  in,  and  even  the  hospital 
and  dispensary  for  the  same  reason  began  to  be  scantily  at- 
tended.    After  Mr.  Wylie's  murder,  things  became  increa- 
ngly  senous,  and  by  the  end  of  August  it  became  apparent  to 
the  authorities  that  the  safety  of  foreigners  would  be  jeopard- 

Zt  ^L'TT^  ™"'^  ^°"^''"  ^"  ^^"'^^^"-  Somewhat  later 
they  left,  Dr.  Ross  and  Dr.  Christie  remaining  behind  for  a 
short  time  at  the  special  request  of  the  Governor.  I  left  on 
20th  August,  and  though  my  friends  were  very  anxious  about 


.i  ?J' 


:5   ,j 


212 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


my  safety,  I  reached  Newclmang  five  days  later,  having  en- 
countered no  worse  risk  than  that  of  an  attack  by  pirates,  who 
captured  some  junks  with  some  loss  of  life,  after  I  had  eluded 
them  by  travelling  at  night. 


n- 

10 

5d 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

NAGASAKI — WLADIVOSTOK 

AFTER  the  collapse  of  the  rumor  regarding  the  landing  of 
the  Japanese  in  force  on  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Pe- 
chili,  which  obtained  credence  for  nearly  a  fortnight  in  the 
Far  East,  fluttered  every  Cabinet  in  Europe,  forced  even  so 
cool  and  well-informed  a  man  as  Sir  Robert  Hart  into  hasty 
action,  and  produced  a  hurried  exodus  of  Europeans  from 
Peking  and  a  scare  generally  among  the  foreign  residents  in 
North  China,  I  returned  from  Peking  to  Chefoo  to  await  the 
course  of  events. 

The  war,  its  requirements,  and  its  uncertainties  disarranged 
the  means  of  ocean  transit  so  effectually  that,  after  hanging  on 
for  some  weeks,  in  the  midst  of  daily  rumors  of  great  naval 
engagements,  for  a  steamer  for  Wladivostok,  I  only  succeeded 
in  getting  a  passage  in  a  small  German  boat  which  reluctantly 
carried  one  passenger,  and  in  which  I  spent  a  very  comfortless 
five  days,  in  stormy  weather,  varied  by  the  pleasant  interlude 
of  a  day  at  Nagasaki,  then  in  the  full  plory  of  the  chrysan- 
themum season,  and  aflame  with  scarlet  maples.  Lighted, 
cleaned,  and  policed  to  perfection,  without  a  hole  or  a  heap! 
this  trim  city  of  dwarfs  and  dolls  contrasts  agreeably  with  the 
filth,  squalor,  loathsomeness,  and  general  abominableness 
which  are  found  in  nearly  all  Chinese  cities  outside  the  foreign 
settlements. 

Chinese  moved  about  the  streets  with  an  air  as  of  a  ruling 
race,  and  worked  at  their  trades  and  pursued  the  important 
calling  of  compradores  with  perfect  freedom  from  annoyance, 
the  only  formality  required  of  them  being  registration ;  while 

ai3 


214 


Korea  ami  Her  Nciyrhbors 


from  China  all  the  Japmese  had  fled  by  the  desire  of  their 
(  iisuls,  not  always  unmolested  in  person  and  property,  and 
any  stray  "dwarf"  then  found  in  a  Chinese  city  would  have 
been  all  but  certain  to  lose  his  life. 

The  enthusiasm  for  the  war  was  still  at  a  white  heat.  Gifts 
in  money  and  kind  fell  in  a  continual  shower  on  the  Nagasaki 
authorities,  nothing  was  talked  of  but  military  suc(  esses,  and 
a  theatre  holding  3,000  was  giving  tlie  profits  of  two  daily 
performances  to  crowded  audiences  in  aid  of  the  War  Fund. 
The  fact  that  ships  were  only  allowed  to  enter  the  port  by  lay- 
light,  and  were  then  piloted  by  a  Government  steam-launch  in 
charge  of  a  "torpedo  pilot,"  was  the  only  indication  in  the 
harbor  of  an  exceptional  state  of  things. 

It   was   warm   autumn   weather   at   Nagasaki,  but   when   I 
reached  Wladivostok  the  hills  which  surround  its  superb  har- 
bor were  powdered  witii  the  first  snows  of  winter,  and  a  snow- 
storm two  days  later  covered  the  country  to  a  depth  of  18 
inches.     Wooded  islands,  wooded  bays,   wooded  hills,  deep 
sheltered  channels  and   inlets,  wooded  to  the  water's  edge, 
bewilder   a   stranger     then    comes  Fort  Godobin,  and  by  a 
sharp  turn  the  harbor  is  entered,  one  of  tlie  finest  in  the  world, 
two  and  a  half  miles  long  by  nearly  one  wide,  with  deep  water 
everywhere,  so  deep  that  ships  drawing  25  feet  lie  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  the  wharves,  and  moor  at  the  Government  pier. 
The  first  view  of  Wladivostok  ("  Possession  of  the  East  ") 
is  very  striking,  although  the  vandalism  of  its  builders  has 
deprived    it    of   its    naturally  artistic  background  of  wood. 
Otherwise  the  purple  tone  of  the  land  and  the  blue  crystal  of 
the  water  reminded  me  of  some  of  our  Nova  Scotian  harbors. 
There  is  nothing  Asiatic  about   the  aspect  of  this  Pacific 
capital,  and  indeed  it  is  rather  Transatlantic  than  European. 
Seated    on    a    deeply  embayed   and   apparently  landlocked 
harbor,  along  the  shores  of  which  it  straggles  for  more  than  3 
miles,  climbing  audaciously  up  the  barren  sides  of  denuded 
hills,    irregular,   treeless—lofty  buildings  with    bold   fronts, 


!?' 


o 

H 
75 

c 


I 


'■■( 


Nagasak  i — W  lad  i  vostok 


215 


Government  House,  "Kuntz  and  Albers,"  the  glittering 
domes  of  a  Greek  cathedral,  a  Lutheran  church.  Government 
Administrative  Offices,  the  Admiralty,  the  Arsenal,  the  Cadet 
School,  the  Naval  Club,  an  Emigrant  Home,  and  the  grand 
and  solid  terminus  and  offices  of  the  Siberian  Railway,  rising 
out  of  an  irregularity  which  is  not  picturesque,  a:iractand  hold 
the  voyager's  attention. 

Requesting  to  be  taken  at  once  to  the  Customs,  the  bewil- 
dered air  of  astonishment  with  which  my  request  was  met  in- 
formed me  that  Wladivostok  had  up  to  that  time  been  a  free 
port,  and  that  I  was  at  liberty  to  land  unquestioned.     After 
thumping  about  for  some  time  among  a  number  of  stout 
sampans  in  the  midst  of  an  unspeakable  Babel,  I  was  hauled 
on  shore  by  a  number  of  laughing,  shouting,  dirty  Korean 
youths,  who,  after  exchanging  pretty  hard  blows  with  each 
other  for  my  coveted  possessions,  shouldered  them  and  ran  off 
with  them  in  different  directions,  leaving  me  stranded  with  the 
tripod  of  my  camera,  to  which  I  had  clung  desperately  in  the 
melie.     There  were  droskies  not  far  off,  and  four  or  five 
Koreans  got  hold  of  me,  one  dragging  me  towards  one  vehicle, 
others  to  another,  yelling  Korean  into  my  ears,  till  a  Cossack 
policeman  came  and  thumped  them  into  order.     There  were 
hundreds  of  them  on  the  wharf,  and  except  that  they  were 
noisier  and  more  aggressive,  it  was  like  landing  at  Chemulpo. 
Getting  into  a  drosky,  I  said,  "Golden  Horn  Hotel,"  in  my 
most  distinct  English,  then  "  Hotel  Come  d'or,"  in  my  most 
distinct  French.     The  motijik  nodded  and  grinned  out  of  his 
fur  hood,  and  started  at  a  gallop  in  the  opposite  direction  !     I 
clutched  him,  and  made  emphatic  signs,  speech  being  useless, 
and  he  turned  and  galloped  in  a  right  direction,  but  stopped 
at  the  disreputable  doorway  of  one  of  the  lowest  of  the  many 
drinking  saloons  with  which  Wladivostok  is  infested. 

There  all  my  Koreans  reappeared,  vociferating  and  excited. 
I  started  the  motijik  off  again  at  a  gallop,  the  drosky  jumping 
ruts  and  bounding  out  of  holes  with  an  energy  of  elasticity 


I 


2l6 


r  r 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


which  took  my  breath  away,   the  Koreans  racing.     More 
gallops,  more  stoppages  at  pothouses,  and  in  this  fashion  I 
reached  at  last  the  Golded  Horn  Hotel_a  long,  rambling 
"disjaskit"  building,  with  a   shady  air   of  disreputableness 
hanging  about  it,_the  escort  of  Koreans  still  good-natured 
and    vociferous.     The    landlady  emerged.     I    tried    her   in 
English   and   French,   but  she   knew   neither.     The  motmk 
shouted  at  us  both  in  Russian,  a  little  crowd  assembled,  each 
man  trying  to  put  matters  straight,  and  when  every  moment 
made  them  more  entangled,  and  the  moujik  was  gathering  up 
his  reins  to  gallop  off  on  a  further  quest,  a  Russian  officer  came 
up,  and  in  excellent  Engl/sl,  asked  if  he  could  help  me,  inter- 
preted my  needs  to  the  lady,  lent  me  some  /.pecJts  with  which 
to  appease  the  Koreans  and  the  mo!,jiJi;,  and  gave  me  the  en- 
joyment of  listening  to  my  own  blessed  tongue,  which  I  had 
not  heard  for  five  days. 

By  a  long  flight  of  stairs,  past  a  great  bar  and  dining-room, 
where  vo^i^a  was  much   en  evidence,  even  in  the  forenoon,  past 
a  billiard-room,  occupied  even  at  that  early  hour,  and  through 
a  large,  dark,   and   dusty  theatre,  I   attained   my  rooms,  a 
"parlor"  and  bedroom  en  suite,  opening  on  and  looking  out 
upon  a  yard  with  pigsties.     There  were  five  doors,  not  one  of 
wh»ch   would    lock.     The   rooms   were    furnished    in   Louis 
Quatorze  style,   much   gilding   and  velvet,  all   ancient  and 
dusty.     They  looked   as  if  they  had  known  tragedies,   and 
might  know  them  again.     The  barrier  of  language  was  impass- 
able, and  I  must  be  unskilled  in  the  use  of  signs,  for  I  quite 
failed  to  make  any  on    mderstand  that  I  wanted  food. 

I  went  out,  cashed  a  circular  note  at  the  great  German  house 
of  Kuntz  and  Albers,  the  "  Whiteleys  "  of  Eastern  Siberia, 
where  all  the  information  that  I  then  needed  was  given  in  the 
most  polite  way,  found  it  impossible  anywhere  else  to  make 
myself  understood  in  English  or  French,  failed  in  an  attempt 
to  buy  postage  stamps  or  to  get  food,  delivered  the  single  letter 
of  introduction  which  I  had  somewhat  ungraciously  accepted, 


Nagasaki— Wladivostok 


217 


and  returned  to  my  melodramatic  domicile  to  consider  the 
possibilities  of  travel,  which  at  that  moment  were  not  en- 
couraging. 

Before  long  Mr.  Charles  Smith,  the  oldest  foreign  resident 
in  Wladivostok,  to  whom  my  letter  was  addressed,  called,  a 
kindly  and  genial  presence,  and,  as  I  afterwards  found,  full  of 
good  deeds  and  benevolence.  He  took  me  at  once  to  call  on 
General  Unterberger,  the  Governor  of  the  Maratime  Province. 
I  think  I  never  saw  so  gigantic  a  man— military,  too,  from  his 
spurs  to  his  coat  collar.  As  he  rose  to  receive  me  he  looked 
as  if  his  head  might  eventually  touch  the  lofty  ceiling. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  persona  grata  in  Wladivostok,  and  very 
much  so  with  the  Governor,  who  consequently  received  me 
with  much  friendliness,  and  asked  me  to  let  him  know  my 
plans.  I  explained  what  I  wanted  to  do,  subject  to  his  ap- 
proval, and  presented  my  credentials,  which  were  of  the  best. 
He  said  that  he  quite  approved  of  my  project,  and  would  do 
anything  he  could  to  help  me,  and  wrote  on  the  spot  a  letter 
to  the  Frontier  Commissioner,  but  he  added  that  the  disorgan- 
ized and  undisciplined  state  of  the  Chinese  army  near  the 
frontier  might  render  some  modification  of  my  plan  neces- 
sary, as  I  afterwards  found.  The  Governor  and  his  wife  speak 
excellent  English,  and  the  social  intercourse  which  I  had  with 
them  afterwards  was  most  agreeable  and  instructive. 

During  the  afternoon  Mr.  Smith  returned,  and  saying  that 
he  and  his  wife  could  not  endure  my  staying  in  that  hotel, 
took  me  away  to  his  home  high  up  on  a  steep  hillside,  with  a 
glorious  view  of  the  city  and  harbor,  and  of  which  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  say  whether  the  sunshine  were  brighter  within  or  with- 
out. Under  such  propitious  circumstances  my  two  visits 
became  full  of  sunny  memories,  and  I  may  be  pardoned  if  I 
see  Wladivostok  a  little  couletir  de  rose;  for  the  extraordinary 
kindness  which  dogs  and  shadows  the  traveller  in  the  Far  East 
were  met  with  there  in  perfection,  and  where  I  was  received 
by  strangers  I  left  highly  valued  friends. 


'■A 

i 


2l8 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


After  a  snowstorm  splendid  weather  set  in.  Tlie  snow  pve- 
vented  dust  blasts,  the  ordinary  drawback  of  an  Eastern 
Siberian  winter,  the  skies  were  brilliant  and  unclouded,  the 
sunsets  carnivals  of  color,  the  air  exhilarating,  the  mercury  at 
night  averaging  20°,  there  was  light  without  heat,  the  main 
road  was  full  of  sleighs  going  at  a  gallop,  their  bells  making 
low  music,  all  that  is  unsightly  was  hidden,  and  this  weather 
continued  for  five  weeks  ! 

"  The  Possession  of  the  East "  is  nothing  if  not  military 
and  naval.  Forts,  earthworks,  at  which  it  is  prudent  not  to 
look  too  long  or  intently,  great  military  hospitals,  huge  red 
brick  barracks  in  every  direction,  offices  of  military  adminis- 
tration, squads  of  soldiers  in  brown  ulsters  and  peaked  pasha- 
liks,  carrv'ig  pickaxes  or  spades  on  their  shoulders,*  sappers 
with  their  tools,  in  small  parties,  officers,  mostly  with  port- 
folios or  despatch  boxes  under  their  arms,  dashing  about  in 
sleighs,  and  the  prohibition  of  photography,  all  indicate  its 
fortress  character.  Certainly  two  out  of  every  three  people  in 
the  streets  are  in  uniform,  and  the  Cossack  police,  who 
abound,  are  practically  soldiers. 

Naval  it  is  also.  There  are  ships  of  war  in  and  out  of  com- 
mission, a  brand-new  admiralty,  a  navy  yard,  a  floating  dock, 
a  magnificent  dry  dock,  only  just  completed,  and  a  naval 
clubhouse,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  VVladivos- 
tok.  No  matter  that  Nature  closes  the  harbor  from  Christmas 
to  the  end  of  March  I     Science  has  won  the  victory,  and  the 


>  The  Russian  soldier  does  a  great  amount  of  day  labor.  Far  from 
disporting  himself  in  brilliant  uniform  before  the  admiring  eyes  of  boys 
and  "  servant  girls,"  he  digs,  builds,  carpenters,  makes  shoes  and  harness, 
and  does  a  good  civil  day's  work  in  addition  to  his  military  duties,  and  is 
paid  for  this  as  "  piecework  "  on  a  f^xed  scale,  his  daily  earnings  bei;  g 
duly  entered  in  a  book.  When  he  has  served  his  time  these  are  j.anc^ed 
over  to  him,  and  a  steady,  industrious  man  makes  enough  to  set  himself 
up  in  a  small  business  or  on  a  farm.  Vodka  and  schnaps  are  the  Russian 
soldier's  great  enemies. 


Nagasaki — Whulivostok 


219 


port  has  been  kept  open  for  the  last  two  winters  by  means  of  a 
powerful  ice-breakei  and  the  services  of  the  troops  in  towing 
the  blocks  of  ice  out  to  sea.  Large  steamers  of  the  "Volun- 
teer Fleet"  leave  Odessa  and  Wladivostok  monthly  or  fort- 
nightly. As  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Trans-Siberian  Rail- 
way, Wladivostok  aspires  to  be  what  she  surely  will  be— at 
once  the  Gibraltar  and  Odessa  of  the  Far  East,  one  of  the 
most  important  of  commercial  emporiums,  as  the  "distribu- 
ting point"  for  the  commerce  of  that  vast  area  of  prolific 
country  which  lies  south  of  the  Amur.  Possibly  a  branch 
line  to  Port  Shestakoft"  in  Ham  gyong  Do  may  enable  the 
Government  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  the  ice-brc  '^er  ! 

The  progress  of  the  city  is  remarkable.  The  site,  then  a 
forest,  was  only  surveyed  in  i860.  In  1863  many  of  the 
trees  were  felled  and  some  shanties  were  erected.  Later  than 
that  a  tiger  was  shot  on  the  site  of  the  new  Government  House, 
and  a  man  leaving  two  horses  to  be  sliod  outside  the  smithy 
had  them  both  devoured  by  tigers.  Gradually  tlie  big  oaks 
and  pines  were  cleared  away,  and  wooden  houses  were  slowly 
added,  until  1872,  when  the  removal  of  the  naval  establish- 
ment of  60  men  from  Nicolaeffk  on  the  Amur  to  the  new  set- 
tlement gave  it  a  decided  start.  In  1878  it  had  a  population 
of  1,400.  In  1897  its  estimated  civil  population  was  25,000, 
including  3,000  Koreans,  who  have  their  own  settlement  a 
mile  from  the  city,  and  are  its  draymen  and  porters,  and  2,000 
Chinese.  The  letter  keep  most  of  the  shops,  and  have  ob- 
tained a  monopoly  of  the  business  in  meat,  fish,  game,  fruit, 
vegetables,  and  other  perishable  commodities,  their  guild  be- 
ing strong  enough  to  squeeze  the  Russians  out  of  the  trade  in 
these  articles,  which  are  sold  in  four  large  wooden  buildings 
by  the  harbor  known  as  the  "  Bazar."  There  ;.re  some  good 
Japanese  shops,  but  the  Japanese  are  usually  domestic  servants  at 
high  wages,  and  after  a  few  years  return  to  enjoy  their  savings 
in  their  own  country.  A  naturalized  German  is  the  only  British 
subject,  and  my  host  and  his  family  are  the  only  Americans. 


■llil 


'fv: 


IS  ' 

1*1 


220 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


The  capital  has  two  subsidized  and  two  independent  lim  c 
of  steamers,  700  families  of  Russian  assisted  emigrants  enter 
Pnmorsk  annually,  each  head  of  a  household  being  required 
to  be  the  possessor  of  600  roubles  (£60),  and  from  8,000  to 
io,coo  Chinese  from  the  Shan-tung  provmce  arrive  every 
spring  to  fulfil  labor  contracts,  returning  to  China  h  Dectia 
ber,  carrying  out  of  the  country  froM  25  to  50  dollars  earh, 
co,-v,ct  labor  from  the  penal  settlement  of  Saghalien  buing 
been  abandcr-.v;  u,  impraciicable. 

The  Chinese  ,i;.>p.,  which  ar<.  i  feature  of  Wladivostok,  un- 
dersell  both  Russ-an.  and  Germans,  and  have  an  increasing 
trade.  Kuntz  a.i  .Ubers,  a  Hamburg  firm  of  importers; 
bankers,  shu.p,ng  .gents,  and  Whiteleyism  in  general,  with 
sixty  clerics,  mostly  German,  with  a  few  Russians,  Danes,  and 
Koreans,  conduct  an  enormous  wholesale  and  retail  busin'ss 
m  a  "  palatial "  pile  of  brick  and  stone  buildings,  and  has 
sixteen  brunch  houses  in  Eastern  Siberia,  and  the  German  firm 
of  Langalutje  runs  them  very  closely. 

The  railway  station  and  offices  are 'solid  and  handsome;  an 
admirably  built  railroad,  open  to  the  Ussuri  Bridge,  186  miles 
end  progressing  towards  the  Amur  with  great  rapidity,  points 
to  a  new  commercial  future;  streets  of  shops  and  dwelling- 
houses,  in  which  brick  and  stone  are  fast  replacing  wood   are 
extending  to  the  north,  east,  and  west,  and  along  the  Gulf  of 
Peter  the  Great,  for  fully  three  miles;  and  n:wand  handsome 
official  and   private  edifices  of  much  pretension  were  being 
rapidly  completed.     One  broad  road,  with  houses  sometimes 
on  one,  sometimes  on  both  sides,  running  along  the  hillside 
for  2  miles  at  a  considerable  height,  is  the  "  Main  Street"  or 
"  H.gli  Street  "  of  Wladivostok.     Along  it  are  built  most  of 
the  public  buildings,  and   the  great  shops  and   mercantile 
offices.     It  is  crossed  by  painfully  steep  roads  climbing  up  tl.^ 
hill  and  descending  with  equal  steepness  to  the  sea.     Theif 
are  two  or  three  parallel  r^.^s  of  small  importance 

The  builder  was  at  v,  -.  in  all  quarters,  and  the     ••  k  i 


Nagasak  i— W  lad  i  vostok 


221 


the  mason's  trowel  and  the  ring  of  the  carpenter's  hammer 
were  only  silent  for  a  few  hours  during  the  night.  Several  of 
Government  buildings  were  barely  finished,  and  were  occupied 
before  they  were  painted  and  stuccoed.  Building  up  and 
pulling  down  were  going  on  simultaneously.  Roads  were 
being  graded,  culverts  and  retaining  walls  built,  and  wooden 
houses  showed  signs  of  disappearing  from  the  principal  thor- 
oughfare. There  was  a  "  boom  "  in  real  property.  The 
value  of  land  has  risen  fabulously.  "Lots  "which  were 
bought  in  1864  for  600  and  3,000  roubles  are  now  worth  12,- 
000  and  20,000,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  town  land  is  not  to 
be  bought  at  any  price. 

Newness,  progress,  hopefulness  are  characteristics  of  civil 
VVladivostok.     It  has  the  aspect  of  a  growing  city  in  the 
American  Far  West.     Few  things  are  finished  and  all  are  go- 
ing ahead.     The  sidewalks  are  mostly  narrow,  and  composed 
of  rough  planks,  with  a  tendency  to  tip  up  or  down,  but  here 
and  there  is  a  fine  piece  of  granite  flagging  10  feet  wide. 
The  hotels  have  more  of  the  shady  character  of  "saloons"  or 
barrooms  than  of  anything  reputable  or  established.     Hand- 
some houses  of  brick  and  stone  shoulder  wooden  shanties 
Fashionable  carriages  or  sleighs  bounce  over  ungraded  streets 
The  antediluvian  r-cart  with  its  Korean  driver  bumps  and 
creaks  through  t  -  .^  ^ets  alongside  of  the  troika,  with  its 
three  galloping  hois  •-     .  showy  harness,  and  its  occupants  in 
the  latest  and  daintift  of  Parisian  costumes. 

But  the  all-pervading  flavor  of  militarism  overpowers  the 
suggestion  of  the  American  Far  West.  The  first  buildings  on 
the  barren  coast  are  military  hospitals  and  barracks,  and  bar- 
racks thicken  as  the  city  is  approached.  The  female  element 
IS  in  a  remarkable  minority.  The  dull  roll  of  artillery  and 
comniissanat  wagons,  the  tramp,  morning  and  night,  of  brown 
battalions,  and  the  continual  throb  of  drum  and  blare  of 
truirfpet  and  bugle,  recall  one  to  the  fact  that  this  is  the  capital 
of  Russia's  vast,  growing,  aspiring,  Pacific  Empire. 


II '' 


I 


222 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Theatricals,  concerts,  and  balls  fill  up  the  winter  season. 
Except  on  the  few  days  on  which  snow  falls,  the  skies  are 
cloudless,  the  temperature  is  not  seriously  below  zero,  and  the 
dryness  of  the  air  is  very  invigorating.  In  winters,  happily 
somewhat  exceptional,  in  which  there  is  no  snowfall,  and  the 
strong  wnids  create  dust-storms,  the  climate  is  less  agreeable 
Spring  IS  abrupt  and  pleasant,  and  autumn  is  a  fine  season,  but 
summer  is  hot,  damp,  and  misty. 

A  fine  Greek  cathedral,  with  many  domes  and  lofty  gilded 
crosses,   which  gleam   mysteriously  in    the  sunset  when  the 
gloom  of  twilight  has  wrapped  all  else,  a  prominent  Lutheran 
church,  and  a  Chinese  joss-house,  provide  for  the  religious 
«eeds  of  the  population.     The  Governor  of  the  Maritime 
Province,  several  of  the  leading,  and  many  of  the  lower  offi- 
cials are  of  German  origin  from  the  Baltic  provinces,  Luther- 
ans, and  possibly  imbued  with  a  few  liberal  ideas.     But  among 
the  kindly,  cultured,  and  agreeable  people  whose  acquaintance 
I  made  in  Wladivostok  one  peculiarity  impressed  me  forcibly 
-the  absolute  stagnation  of  thought,  or  the  expression  of  it 
on  politics  and  all  matters  connected  with  them,  the  adminis- 
tration of  government,  religion,  the  orthodox  church,  dissent, 
home  and  foreign  policy,  etc.     It  is  true  that  certain  subjects, 
and  these  among  the  most  interesting,  are  carefully  eliminated 
from  conversation,  and  that  to  introduce  any  one  of  them 
might  subject  the  offender  to  social  ostracism. 


I 


\ 


CHAPTER  XIX 

KOREAN   SETTLERS   IN   SIBERIA 

'T^HE  chief  object  of  my  visit  to  Russian  Manchuria  was  to 
1  settle  for  myself  by  personal  investigation  the  vexed 
question  of  the  condition  of  those  Koreans  who  have  found 
shelter  under  the  Russian  flag,  a  number  estimated  in  Seoul  at 
20,000.  It  was  there  persistently  said  that  Russia  was  banish- 
ing them  in  large  numbers,  and  that  several  thousands  of  them 
had  already  recrossed  the  Tumen,  and  were  in  such  poverty 
that  the  King  of  Korea  had  sent  agents  to  the  north  who  were 
to  settle  them  on  lands  in  Ham-gyong  Do. 

But  in  Wladivostok  the  servant-interpreter  difficulty  was  ab- 
solutely insurmountable.     No  eff-orts  on  the  part  of  my  friends 
could  obtain  what  did  not  exist,  and  I  was  on  the  verge  of 
giving  up  what  proved  a  very  interesting  journey,  when  the 
Director  of  the  Siberian  Telegraph  Lines  very  kindly  liberated 
the  senior  official  in  his  department,  who  had  not  had  a  holi- 
day for  many  years,  to  go  with  me.     Mr.  Heidemann,  a  Ger- 
man  from  the  Baltic  provinces,  spoke  German,  Russian,  and 
English  with  nearly  equal  ease,  and  as  a  Russian  official  was 
able  to  make  things  smoother  than  they  might  otherwise  have 
been  in  a  very  rough  part  of  Primorsk.     He  was  tall,  good- 
looking,  and  verging  on  middle  age,  very  gentlemanly,  never 
failed  in  any  courtesy,  understood  how  to  manage  moiijiks, 
and  was  a  capable  and  willing  interpreter ;  but  he  was  official, 
reticent,  an-i  uninterested,  and  gave  me  the  impression  of  be- 
ing frozen  into  his  uniform  ! 

Fortified  as  to  my  project  by  the  cordial  approval  of  the 

22.1 


J 


224 


Korea 


i 


aiK<   Jitr  Neighbors 


Governor,  the  co.mesy  of  the  Telegraph  Drparime.u,  and  the 
singular  splfiulnr  of  the  weather,  I  left  Wladivostok  by  a  red 
sunrise  in  a  small  steamer,  which  accomplished  the  60  miles 
to  Possiet  Bay  in  seven  hours,  landi  ,  ..,  ,  deep  itdet  of 
clear  water  and  white  sand,  soon  to  be  closed  by  ice,  at  the 
foot  of  low  and  absolutely  barren  hills  fringing  off  into  sandy 
knolls,  where  Koreans  with  their  ox-carts  awaited  the  steamer 
A  well  s;,  ead  tea-table  at  the  house  of  the  Russian  postmaster 
was  very  welcome.  Such  a  strong-looking  family  I  had  seldom 
seen  but  afterwards  I  found  that  size  and  strength  are  charac- 
teristic of  the  Russian  settlers  in  Primorsk. 

Possiet  Bay  is  a  large  military  station  of  fine  barracks  and 
storehouses.  It  scarcely  seemed  to  possess  a  civil  population, 
but  there  are  Korean  settlements  at  no  great  distance,  from 
which  much  of  the  beef  supply  of  Wladivostok  is  derived. 
We  met  a  number  of  strong,  thriving-Iooking  Koreans  driving 
60  fine  fat  cattle  down  to  the  steamer. 

I'ht!  post  wagon,  in  which  we  were  cramped  up  among  and 
under  the  mail-bags,  took  us  at  a  two  hours'  gallop  along 
frozen  inlets  of  the  sea  and  across  frozen  rivers,  over  ^^uissy, 
hilly  country,  scarcely  enlivened  by  Korean  farms  in  the  val- 
leys, to  Nowo  Kiewsk,  which  we  reache  after  niglitfall,  and 
were  hospitably  rece:  A  by  •he  rep-  entative  ..f  Messrs. 
Kuntz  and  Albers,  who.o  large  brick  and  stone  establishment 
is  the  prominent  object  in  the  settlement. 

Nowo  Kiewsk  's  a  great  military  post,  to  which  1,000 
civdians,  chiefly  Koreans  a  :d  Chinese,  have  been  attracted  by 
the  prospect  of  gain.  Koreans  indeed  form  she  bulk  of  this 
population,  and  do  all  the  hauling  of  goods  .uid  fuel  widi  their 
ox-teams.  The  centre  of  the  town  ■  rre  dusty  slope  int^r. 
sected  by  dusty  and  glaring  roads,  ■  .ch  sound  at  intervals 
from  early  morning  till  sunset  with  the  stead>  tramp  of  brown 
^)^:-.*.ered  battalions.  Between  Possiet  Bay  and  Nowo  Kiewsit 
there  were  10,000  infantry  and  artillery,  and  at  the  latter  post 
8  pieces  of  field  artillery  and  24  two-wheeled  ammunition 


Korean  Settlers  in  Siberia 


225 


>i 


wagons.  Barracks  for  10,000  more  men  were  in  course  of 
rapid  construction.  Long  wooden  sheds  shelter  tlje  artillery 
ponies,  and  villages  of  low  mud  houses  of  two  rooms  each, 
with  windows  consisting  of  a  single  small  pane  of  glass,  the 
families  of  b  ,ldiers.  There  are  great  drill  and  parade  grounds 
and  an  imposing  Greek  church  of  the  usual  pattern. 

With  its  great  open  spaces  and  wide  streets,  Nowo  Kiewsk 
looks  laid  out  for  futurity,  straggling  along  a  treeless  and 
bushless  hill  slope  for  2  uules.  In  addition  to  Kunt/.  and 
Albers,  with  their  polyglot  staff  of  clerks,  among  whom  a 
young  Korean  in  European  dress  was  conspicuous  for  his  gen- 
tlemanliness  and  alacrity,  there  is  another  German  house,  and 
there  are  forty  small  shops,  chiefly  kept  by  Chinese,  at  all  of 
which  schnaps  and  vodka  are  sold. 

I  was  detained  there  for  three  days  while  arrangements  for 
my  southern  journey  were  being  made,  and  during  that  time 
the  Chief  of  Police,  who  spoke  French,  took  me  to  several 
Korean  villages.     So  far  as  I  saw  ,  ,id  heard,  the  whole  agri- 
ciihural  population  of  the  neighborhood  is  Korean,  and  is  in  a 
ver        )sperous  condition.     There,  and  down  to  the  Korean 
front,      most  of  these  settlers  are  doing  well,  and  some  of  them 
are  growing  nch  as  contractors  for  tl,e  supply  of  meat  and  grain 
to  the  Russian  forces.     At  this  they  have  beaten  their  Chinese 
neighbors,  and  they  actually  go  into  Chinese  Manchuria,  buy 
up  lean  cattle,  and  fatter^    hem  for  beef.    To  those      .0  have 
only  seen  the  Koreans  in  Korea,  such  a  statement  will  be  hard  I  / 
credible.     Yet  it  does  not  stand  alone,  for  I  have  it  on  the 
best  authority  that  the  Korean  settlers  near  Khabaroffka  have 
competed  so  successfully  with  the  Chinese  in  market  garden- 
ing ♦hat  the  supplying  that  city  with  vegetal  es  is  now  en- 
tirely in  their  hands  ! 

The  Russian  tarantass  is  one  of  the  m^st  uncouth  of  civ'l- 
ized  vehicles— all  that  can  be  said  of  it  is  that  it  suits  the  roads, 
which  in  that  region  are  execrable.  On  two  sets  of  stout  wheels 
and  axles,  attached  to  eac.  other  by  long  solid  timbers,  a  long 


•Ml 


•i 


226 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


•hallow  box  is  securef!  with  one,  two,  or  even  three  boards, 
cushioned  or  not,  "roped"  across  it  for  seats.  It  maybe 
drawn  by  either  two  or  three  horses  abreast,  one  in  the  sliafts 
and  one  or  two  outside,  each  with  the  most  slender  attachment 
to  the  vehicle,  and  his  head  held  down  and  inwards  by  a  tight 
strap.  Tl  s  outer  animal  is  trained  to  a  showy  gallop,  which 
never  slackens  even  though  the  shaft  horse  may  keep  up  a 
decorous  trot.  The  tarantass  has  no  springs,  and,  going  at  a 
gallop,  bumps  and  bounces  over  all  obstacles,  holes,  hillocks, 
ruts  and  streams  being  alike  to  it. 

The  tarantass  of  the  Chief  of  Police  made  nothing  of  the 
obstacles  on  the  road  to  Yantchihc,  where  we  were  to  hear  of 
a  Korean  interpreter.     The  level  country,  narrowing  into  a 
valley  bordered  by  fme  mountains,  is  of  deep,  rich  black  soil, 
and  grows  almost  all  cereals  and  roots.     All  the  crops  were 
gathered    in    and   the   land   was   neatly   ploughed.     Korean 
hamlets  with  houses  of  a  very  superior  class  to  those  in  Korea 
were    sprinkled  over  the  country.     At  one  of   the  largest 
villages,  where  140  families  were  settled  on  750  acres  of  rich 
land,  we  called  at  several  of  the  peasant  farmers'  houses,  and 
were  made  very  welcome,  even  the  women  coming  out  to 
welcome  the  official  with  an  air  of  decided  pleasure.     The 
farmers  had  changed  the  timid,  suspicious,  or  cringing  manner 
which  is  characteristic  of  them  to  a  great  extent  at  home,  for 
an  air  of  frankness  and  manly  independence  which  was  most 
pleasing. 

The  Chief  of  Police  was  a  welcome  visitor.  The  Koreans 
had  nothing  to  fear,  unless  his  quick  scent  discerned  an  in- 
sanitary odor  or  his  eye  an  anwarrantable  garbage  heap  !  The 
farmyards  were  clean  and  well  swept,  and  tl  »  domestic  animals 
were  lodged  in  neat  sheds.  The  houses,  of  strictly  Korean 
architecture,  were  large,  with  five  or  six  rooms,  carefully 
thatched,  and  very  neat  witliin,  abounding  L.  such  comforts 
and  plenishings  as  would  only  be  dreamed  of  by  mandarins  at 
home.     It  is  insistetl  on,  however,  that,  instead  of  the  flues 


Korean  Stttlcrs  In  Siberia 


227 


which  heat  the  Hours  vomiting  forth  their  smoke  through  many 
blackened  apertures  in  the  walls,  they  shall  miite  in  sending  it 
heavenwards  through  a  hollow  tree  trunk  placed  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  house.  This,  and  cleanly  surroundings  in  the 
interests  of  sanitation,  are  the  only  .cstrictions  on  their  Korean 
habits.  The  clothing  and  dwellings  are  the  same  as  in  Korea 
and  the  "  to[>knot  "  flourishes.  ' 

A  little  farther  on  there  is  the  large  village  of  Yantchihe. 
with  a  neat  schoolhouse,  in  which  Russian  and  Korean  pupils 
sit  side  by  side  at  their  lessons,  a  Greek  church,  singularly 
rich  in  internal  decorations,  and  a  priest's  house  adjoining 
This  IS  a  very  prosperous  village.     In  the  neat  police  station  a 
Korean  sergeant  wrote  down  my  requirements  and  sent  off  a 
smart  Korean  policeman  in  search  of  an  interpreter.     Four 
hundred  Koreans  in  this  neighborhood  have  conformed  to  the 
Lrreek  Church  and  have  received   baptism.     On  asking  the 
priest,  who  was  more  picturesque  than  cultivated,  and  whose 
large  young  family  seemed  oppressively  large  for  the  house 
what  sort  of  Christians  they  made,  he  replied  suggestively  tha't 
they  had  "a  great  deal  to  learn."  and  that  there  would  be 
"  more  hope  for  the  next  generation." 

I  am  not  clear  in  my  own  mind  as  to  the  cause  of  the  suc- 
cess which  has  attended  "  missionary  effort  "  at  Yantchihe  and 
elsewhere.  The  statements  I  received  on  the  subject  differed 
widely,  and  in  most  cases  were  made  hesitatingly,  as  if  my  in- 
formants  were  not  sure  of  their  ground.  My  impression  is 
that  while  Russia  is  tolerant  of  devil-worship,  or  any  other 
worship  which  is  not  subversive  of  the  externals  of  morality 
''conformity  "  is  required  to  obtain  for  the  Korean  alien  those 
blessings  which  belong  to  natr.ralization  as  a  Russian  subject 

Preparations  being  com.ieted  for  travelling  to  the  Korean 
frontier,  and  into  Korea  as  far  as  Kyong-heung,  a  town  which 
a  irade  Convention  in  1888  opened  to  the  residence  of  Rus- 
sian subjects  in  the  hope  of  creating  a  market  there  after  the 
style  of  Kiachta,  I  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Matunin,  the 


228 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Frontier  Commissioner,  who  gave  me  a  very  unpleasant  ac< 
count  of  insecurity  on  the  frontier  owing  to  the  lawlessness  of 
the  Chinese  troops,  and  an  introduction  to  the  Governor  of 
Kyong-heung, 

A  large  tarantass  with  three  ponies  and  a  driver,  a  Korean 
on  another  pony,  and  the  Korean  headman  of  a  neighboring 
village,  who  spoke  Russian  well,  and  our  saddles  were  our 
modest  outfit.     The  details  of  the  two  days'  journey  to  the 
Tumen  are  too  monotonous  for  infliction  on  the  reader.     The 
road  was  infamous,  and  at  times  disappeared  altogether  on  a 
hillside  or  in  a  swamp,  and  swamps  are  frequent  for  the  first 
40    versts.     The    tarantass,   always    attempting    a    gallop, 
bounced,  bumped,  and  thumped,  till  breathing  became  a  series 
of  gasps.     Occasionally  we  stuck  fast  in  swampy  streams  where 
the  ice  was  broken,  being  extricated  by  a  tremendous,  united, 
and  apparently  trained,  jump  on  the  part  of  the  ponies,  which 
compelled  a  strong  grip  of  the  vehicle  with  hands  and  feet, 
and    would    have    dislocated    any  other.     Mr.   Heidemann 
smoked  cigarettes  unceasingly,  and  made  no  remarks. 

We  crossed  the  head  of  Possiet  Bay  and  other  inlets  at  a 
gallop  on  thin  ice,  forded  several  streams  in  the  aforesaid 
fashion,  and  passed  through  several  Korean  coast  villages 
given  up  to  the  making  of  salt  by  a  rude  process,  the  finished 
product  being  carted  away  to  Hun-chun  in  China  in  baskets 
of  finely  woven  reeds.  These  Chinese  carts  are  drawn  by 
seven  mules  each,  constantly  driven  at  a  gallop. 

After  30  versts  the  country  became  very  hilly,  with  rugged 
mountains  in  the  distance,  all  without  a  tree  or  bush,  and  covered 
with  coarse  and  fine  grasses  mixed  up  with  myriads  of  with- 
ered flower  stalks  of  Composites  and  C/mbelli/erce,  and  here 
and  there  a  lonely,  belated  purple  aster  shivered  in  :he  strong 
keen  wind,  which  made  an  atmosphere  at  zero  somewhat  hard 
to  face.  The  valleys  are  flat  and  broad,  and  their  rich  black 
soil,  the  product  of  ages  of  decaying  vegetation,  is  absolutely 
stoneless.    Almost  all  crops  can  be  raised  upon  it.    Besides 


•?:. 


^ 


Korean  Settlers  in  Siberia  229 

being  a  rich  agricultural  country,  the  region  is  well  suited  for 
cattle  breeding.  There  were  large  herds  on  the  hills,  and  hay- 
stacks thickly  scattered  over  the  landscape  indicated  abundance 
of  winter  keep.  The  potato,  which  flourishes  and  is  free  from 
the  disease,  is  largely  cultivated,  and  is  now  with  the  Koreans 
an  article  of  ordinary  diet. 

The  whole  of  this  fine  country  is  settled  by  Koreans,  for  the 
few  hamlets  of  wretched,  tumble-down  Chinese  houses  are  of 
no  account.     Whether  as  squatters  or  purchasers,  they  are 
making  the  best  of  the  land.     The  number  of  their  domestic 
animals  enables  them  to  fertilize  it  abundantly ;  they  plough 
deep,  and  rotate  their  crops,  and  get  a  splendid  yield  from 
their  lands.     We  halted  at  Saretchje,  a  village  of  120  families, 
admirably  housed,  and  with  all  material  comforts  abounding 
about  them.     Out  of  its  600  inhabitants,  450  have  "con- 
formed."   The  Koreans,  having  no  religion,  are  apparently 
not  unwilling  to  secure  the  possible  advantages  of  conversion 
and  though  none  of  the  Greek  priests  who  conversed  with  me 
were  enthusiastic  about  their  "  consistency,"  it  is  at  least  more 
satisfactory  to  see  an  '^  Ecce  Homo^^  on  the  wall  than  the 
family  daemon. 

At  distances  of  3  and  4  miles  there  are  Korean  villages,  of 
which  prosperity  in  greater  or  less  degree  is  a  characteristic. 
Ihe  houses  are  large  and  well  built,  and  the  farmyards  are 
well  stocked  with  domestic  animals,  the  people  and  children 
are  well  clothed,  and  the  village  lands  carefully  cultivated. 

A  long  ascent,  during  which  the  road,  which  for  some  time 
had  been  intermittent,  gradually  disappeared,  leads  to  the 
summit  of  a  high  hill,  from  which  the  mountainous  frontiers 
of  Russia,  China,  and  Korea  are  seen  to  converge.  After 
losing  our  way  and  our  time,  and  crossing  several  ranges  of 
hills  without  a  road,  just  as  the  winter  sun  was  setting  in  a 
flood  of  red  gold,  glorifying  the  mountains  on  the  Chinese 
frontier,  a  turn  round  a  'Mufl"  revealed  what  is  geographically 
and  politically  a  striking  view. 


M 


m^ 


■?r/^ 


230 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


The  whole  of  the  Russo-Korean  frontier,  11  miles  in  length 
and  a  broad  river  full  of  sandbanks,  passing  through  a  desert 
of  sandhills  to  the  steely  blue  ocean,  lay  crimson  in  the  sun- 
set.    On  a  steep  bluff  above  the  river  a  tall  granite  slab  marks 
the    spot   where    the   Russian   and   Chinese   frontiers   meet 
Across  the  Tumen,  the  barren  mountains  of  Korea  loomed 
purple  through  a  haze  of  gold.     Three  empires  are  seen  at  a 
glance.     A  small  and  poor  Korean  village  is  situated  in  a  val- 
ley below.     Close  to  the  Boundary  Stone,  on  the  high  steep 
bluff  above  the  Tumen,  there  is  a  large  mud  hut  from  which 
most  of  the  whitewash  had  scaled  off,  with  thatch  held  on  by 
straw  ropes,  weighted  with  stones. 

It  was  a  very  lonely  scene.  A  Korean  told  us  that  it  was 
absolutely  impossible  for  us  to  sleep  at  the  village  A  Cos- 
sack came  out  of  the  hut,  took  a  long  look  at  us,  and  returned. 
Then  a  forlorn-looking  corporal  appeared,  who  also  took  a 
long  look,  and  having  hospitable  instincts,  came  up  and  told 
us  that  the  village  was  impossible  except  for  the  drivers  and 
horses,  but  that  he  could  put  us  up  roughly  in  the  hut,  which 
consisted  of  one  fair  sized  room,  another  very  small  one,  and 
a  lean-to. 

The  latest  English  papers  had  stated  that  "Russia  has  lately 
massed  5,000  men  on  the  Korean  frontier,  and  4,000  at  Hun- 
chun."     It  is  not  desirable  to  make  any  inquiries  about  the 
positions  and  numbers  of  Russian  troops,  and  I  had  prudently 
abstained  from  asking  questions,  and  had  looked  forward  with 
interest  to  seeing  a  great  display  of  military  force.     This  hut 
IS  the  military  post  of  Krasnoye  Celo,  and  the  "army"  of 
Russia  "  massed  on  her  Korean  frontier  "  consisted  of  15  men 
and  a  corporal,  the  officer  being  required  to  endure  the  isola- 
tion of  the  position  for  six  months,  and  the  privates  for  one 
The  roars  of  laughter  which  greeted  the  English  statement 
were  not  complimentary  to  newspaper  accuracy. 

The  corporal's  small  room  was  of  no  particular  shape,  and 
was  furnished  with  only  a  deal  chair  and  small  table,  and  a 


I 


'Ti 


Korean  Settlers  in  Siberia 


231 


n 


big  earthen  jar  of  water,  but  it  was  well  warmed,  and  had  an 
iron  camp-bed   in  a  recess  with  a  wire-wove  mattress,  much 
broken  and  "sagging,"  the  sharp  points  of  the  broken  wires 
sticking  up  in  several  places  through  the  one  rug  with  which  I 
attempted  to  mollify  their  asperities.     This  recess,  which  just 
contained  the  bed,  was  curtained  off  for  me,  and  the  corporal, 
Mr.  Heidemann,  and  three  Korean  headmen  lay  closely  packed 
on  the  floor.     The  corporal,  glad  to  have  people  to  talk  with, 
talked  more  than  half  the  night,  and  began  again  before  day- 
break.    We  supped   on   barrack   fare— black    bread,    barley 
brose,  and  tea,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  kwass,  a  very 
slightly   fermented   drink,  made   from  black  bread,  raisins, 
sugar,  and  a  little  vodka,  schiaps  and  vodka  containing  40  per 
cent,  of  alcohol.     At  9  p.m.  I  was  surprised  and  delighted  with 
the  noble  strains  of  a  Greek  Litany,  chanted  in  well-balanced 
parts  from  the  barrack-room,  the  evening  worship  of  the  Cos- 
sacks. 

My  last  sunset  view  of  the  Tumen  was  of  a  sheet  of  ice. 
The  headmen  of  the  Korean  villages  of  Sajorni  and  Krasnoe,' 
who  were  in  council  till  near  midnight,  thought  it  was  impos- 
sible to  get  across,  and  they  said  that  the  ferryboat  was  drawn 
ashore  and  was  frozen  in  for  the  winter,  and  that  two  Russian 
Commissioners  ind  a  General,  after  waiting  for  three  days, 
had  left  the  d      -^efore,  having  failed.     However,  yielding  to 
my  urgency,  they  set  all  the  able-bodied  men  of  Sajorni  to 
work  at  2  A.M.  to  dig  the  boat  out,  and  by  7  she  had  moved 
some  yards  towards  the  river,  which,  however,  was  still  a  sheet 
of  ice.     Later,  the  corporal  sent   i4  of  his  men  to  help  the 
Koreans,  laughingly  saying  that  I  had  the  "  whole  Russian 
frontier  army  to  get  me  across."     At  9  word  came  that  the 
boat  was  nearly  afloat,  and  we  started,  on  horseback,  with  two 
baggage  ponies,  and  rode  a  mile  over  the  hills  and  through 
the  prosperous  Korean  village  of  Sajorni,  down  to  a  dazzling 
expanse  of  sand  through  which  the  Tumen  flows  to  the  sea. 
there  10  miles  off. 


f  1 


l&, 


>  , 


M 


232  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

The  river  ice  was  breaking  up  into  large  masses  under  the 
morning  sun,  and  between  Russia  and  Korea  there  was  much 
open  water  about  600  feet  broad.     The  experts  said  if  we 
could  get  over  at  all  it  would  be  between  noon  and  2,  after 
which  the  ice  would  pack  and  freeze  together  again.     Koreans 
and  Cossacks  worked  with  a  will,  breaking  the  ice,  digging 
under  the  boat,  and  moving  her  with  levers,  but  it  was  noon 
before  the  unwieldy  craft,  used  for  the  ferriage  of  oxen,  moved 
into  the  water,  accompanied  by  a  hearty  cheer.     She  leaked 
badly,  two  men  were  required  to  bale  her,  and  the  stern  plat- 
form, by  which  animals  enter  her,  was  carried  away     The 
baggage  was  carried  in  by  men  wading  much  over  their  knees 
and  then  came  the  turn  of  the  ponies,  but  not  the  whole  Rus- 
sian army  by  force  or  persuasion  could  get  those  wretched 
animals  embarked. 

After  a  whole  hour's  work  and  any  amount  of  kicking 
plunging,  and  injuries,  from  getting  one  or  two  legs  over  the 
bulwarks,  and  struggling  back,  and  rolling  backwards  into  the 
river,  two  were  apparently  safe  in  the  ferryboat,  when  sud- 
denly they  knocked  over  the  man  who  held  them  and  jumped 
into  the  water,  one  blind  animal  being  rescued  with  difficulty 
and  the  other  cutting  his  legs  considerably.    The  ice  was  then 
fast  forming,  but  the  soldiers  made  one  more  attempt,  which 
tailed,  owing  to  what  Americans  would  not  inaptly  call  the 
"cussedness"  of  the  Siberian  ponies.     For  the  first  time  on 
any  journey  I  had  to  confess  myself  baffled,  for  it  was  impos- 
sible to  swim  the  contumacious  animals  across,  owing  to  the 
heavy  ice  floes  and  the  low  temperature  of  the  water     I  had 
sat  on  my  pony  watching  these  proceedings  for  nearly  four 
hours,  watching  too  the  grand  Korean  mountains  as  they  swept 
down  to  the  icy  river  in  every  shade  of  cobalt  blue,  varied  by 
Hid.go  shadows  of  the  white  cloud  masses  which  sailed  slowly 
across  the  heavenly  sky.     At  that  point  from  which  I  most  re- 
uctantly  turned  back,  the  Tumen  has  a  large  volume  of  water, 
but  above  and  below  sandbanks  render  the  navigation  so  diffi- 


*:\ 


o 
_) 
u 
u 

u 
> 

o 

< 


s 

OS 

< 

(/J 
(/) 


Il  'I 


f-- 


■  i 


i- 


Korean  Settlers  in  Siberia  233 

cult  that  it  is  only  in  the  rainy  season  that  flat-bottomed  boats 
n.ake  the  attempt,  and  not  always  with  success,  to  reach  th 
Korean  town  of  K' wan.  80  v^rs^s,  or  something  over  50  miles 
above  Krasnoye  Celo.     The  Chinese,  in  the'insanf  notion 
that  Japan  was  about  to  land  a  large  force  on  the  south  bank 

I  nhl         ',  !f  T'^  '"  '"  ""''''  ^^°^^  '"^^  R"---  post 
pho  ographed  the  "  Russian  army  "  and  the  barracks  as 

wel  as  the  Boundary  Stone,  and  the  corporal  slouching  aga Ls 

laTdZess  ^^"'°"' "  "^  '"^^  '^^y  ^^-"«  ^™  to  his 
The  days  of  the  return  journey  gave  me  a  good  opportunity 
of  kar„.„g  something  of  the  condition  of  the  W^.s  u  "d  ^ 
another  Government  than  their  own.  So  long  ago  as  186,  i , 
fam.hes  from  Ham -gyong  Do  crossed  the  frontier  and  seuld 
on  the  nver  Tyzen  Ho.  a  little  to  the  north  o/  Possie^  B  y 
By   1866  there  were   100  families  there,   very  poor    amon^ 

c^t'att  .''"^'^"  ^°^^^"'"^"  ^'^'^^^-^^  catf/a.:d'seeTf:? 

Ko?ea'"!  !!oV  '"""'•  ''''  '''''  ""'"'''y  '"  Northern 

•    nZlt'      ^^       o     ''^"'   '"'^'"''^'    hunger-driven,    into  Pri- 

morsk,  some  3,800  of  them  being  absolutely  destit  te.     These 

eded  to  V"''"^'.''  "°  '"^  ^'■"^'  ''  ^-  territory,  on  y 
ceded  to  Russia  a  kv^  years  before,  was  but  a  thinly  Lpled 

wilderness,  and  was  also  suffering  from  a  bad  harvest  ' 

in  1897  there  were  in  Primorsk  32  village  districts  t^  vil 
ages  W.U.  outlying  hamlets,  divided'  into  5  administrat  ^e  dt 

barTm.  u    f '"'  °"'  "'"^^^  ^^^°"g«  t°  the  city  of  Kha- 

adjace  t  to  Wlad, vostok  and  Nikolskoye.  The  total  number  of 
Korean  imm.grants  ,s  estimated  at  from  x6.ooo  to  18,000.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  several  thousands  of  these  were  lite 

c  arif;?f2  R  ^'"  '':'  '''''''-'  '^'  "-'^  ^  y^-  -  l^e 
to  thl  f  r'""  ^"^'^«"t-^«'  ^"^  after  that  were  indebted 
to  them  for  seed  corn.     They  settled  on  the  rich  lands  of  the 


a 


9  H 


nlil 


234 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Siberian  valleys  mostly  as  squatters,  but  have  been  unmolested 
for  many  years.  Many  have  purchased  the  lands  they  occupy 
and  in  other  cases  villages  have  acquired  community  rights  to 
their  adjacent  lands.  It  is  the  intention  of  Government  that 
squatting  shall  gradually  be  replaced  by  purchase,  the  purchas- 
ers receiving  legal  title-deeds. 

These  alien  settlers  practically  enjoy  autonomy.     At  the 
head  of  each  district  is  an  Elder  or  Headman,  with  from  one 
to  three  assistants  according  to  its  size.     The  police  and  their 
officers  are  Korean.     In  each  district  there  are  two  or  three 
judges  with  their  clerks,  who  try  minor  offences.     The  head- 
men, who  are  responsible  for  order  and  the  collection  of  taxes, 
are  paid  salaries,  or  receive  various  allowances.     All  these 
officials  are  Koreans,  and  are  elected  by  the  people  themselves 
from    among    themselves.     Tlie  Government  taxation  is   lo 
roubles  (about  ^^i)  on  each  farm  per  annum.     The  local  tax- 
ation, settled  by   the  villagers  in  council  for  their  own  pur- 
poses, such  as  roads,  ditches,  bridges,  and  schools,  is  limited 
to  3  roubles  per  farm  per  annum.     Men  who  are  not  land- 
holders pay  from  i  to  2  roubles  per  annum. 

Koreans  settled  in  Siberia  prior  to  1884  can  claim  rights  as 
Russian  subjects,  and  at  this  time  those  who  can  prove  that  ■ 
they  have  been  settled  on  purchased  lands  for  ten  years  can  do 
so,  as  well  as  certain  others,  well  reported  of  as  being  of  set- 
tled lives  and  good  conduct.  Owing  to  the  steady  influx  of 
settlers  from  Southern  Russia,  the  rich  lands  near  the  railroad 
are  required  for  colonization,  and  further  immigration  from 
Korea  has  been  prohibited.  The  sending  of  Koreans  who  are 
either  squatters  or  of  unsettled  lives  to  the  Amur  Province  is 
under  discussion. 

The  villages  between  Krasnoye  Celo  and  Nowo  Kiewsk  are 
fair  average  specimens  of  Russo-Korean  settlements.  The 
roads  are  fairly  good,  and  the  ditches  which  border  them  well 
kept.  Sanitary  rules  are  strictly  enforced,  the  headman  being 
made  responsible  for  village  cleanliness.     Unlike  the  poor, 


Koreua  Settlers  in  Siberia 


^35 


ragged,  filthy  villages  of  the  peninsula,  these  are  well  built  in 
Korean  style,  of  whitewashed  mud  and  laths,  trimly  thatched, 
the  compounds  or  farmyards  are  enclosed  by  whitewashed 
walls,  or  high  fences  of  neatly  woven  reeds,  and  look  as  if 
they  were  swept  every  morning,  and  the  farm  buildings  are 
substantial  and  well  kept.  Even  the  pigsties  testify  to  the 
Argus  eyes  of  the  district  chiefs  of  police. 

Most  of  the  dwellings  have  four,  five,  and  even  six  rooms, 
with  papered  walls  and  ceilings,  fretwork  doors  and  windows, 
"glazed"  with  white  translucent  paper,  finely  matted  floors, 
and  an  amount  of  plenishings  rarely  to  be  found  even  in  a 
mandarin's   house   in  Korea.     Cabinets,    bureaus,    and   rice 
chests  of  ornamental  wood  with  handsome  brass  decorations, 
low  tables,  stools,  cushions,  brass  samovars,  dressers  display- 
ing brass  dinner  services,  brass  bowls,  china,  tea-glasses,  brass 
candlesticks,  brass  kerosene  lamps,  and  a  host  of  other  things, 
illustrate  the  capacity  to  secure  comfort.     Pictures  of  the  Tsar 
and  Tsaritza,  of  the  Christ,  and  of  Greek  saints,  and  framed 
cards  of  twelve  Christian  prayers,  replace  the  coarse  daubs 
of  the  family  daemons  in  very  many  houses.     Out  of  doors 
full  granaries,  ponies,  mares  with  foals,  black  pigs  of  an  im- 
proved breed,  draught  oxen,  and  fat  oxen  for  the  VVladivostok 
market,  with  ox-carts  and  agricultural  implements,  attest  solid 
material  prosperity.     It  would  be  impossible  for  a  traveller  to 
meet  with  more  cordial  hospitality  and  more  cleanly  and  com- 
fortable accommodation  than  I  did  in  these  Korean  homes. 

But  there  is  more  than  this.  The  air  of  the  men  has  under- 
gone a  subtle  but  real  change,  and  the  women,  though  they 
nominally  keep  up  their  habit  of  seclusion,  have  lost  the  hang- 
dog air  which  distinguishes  them  at  home.  The  suspicious- 
ness and  indolent  conceit,  and  the  servility  to  his  betters, 
which  characterize  the  home-bred  Korean  have  very  generally 
given  place  to  an  independence  and  manliness  of  manner 
rather  British  than  Asiatic.  The  alacrity  of  movement  is  a 
change  also,  and  has  replaced  the  conceited  swing  of  the  ^««^. 


i! 


H 


If 


'^  ! 


236 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


ban  and  tlie  heartless  lounge  of  the  peasant.  There  are  many 
chances  for  making  money,  and  there  is  neither  mandarin  nor 
yang-ban  to  squeeze  it  out  of  the  people  when  made,  and  com- 
forts and  a  certain  appearance  of  wealth  no  longer  attract  the 
repacious  attentions  of  officials,  but  are  rather  a  credit  to  a 
man  than  a  source  of  insecurity.  All  who  work  can  be  com- 
fortable, and  many  of  the  farmers  are  rich  and  engage  in 
trade,  making  and  keeping  extensive  contracts. 

Those  Koreans  who  are  not  settled  on  lands  chiefly  in  the 
direction  of  the  Chinese  frontier,  and  who  subsist  by  wood 
cutting  and  hauling,  are  less  well  off,  and  their  hamlets  have 
something  of  squalor  about  them. 

In  Korea  I  had  learned  to  think  of  Koreans  as  the  dregs  of 
a  race,  and  to  regard  their  condition  as  hopeless,  but  in  Pri- 
morsk  I  saw  reason  for  considerably  modifying  my  opinion. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  people,  who  have  raised 
themselves  into  '\  .prosperous  farming  class,  and  who  get  an 
excellent  char^cun  im  industry  and  good  conduct  alike  from 
Russian  poli,,»  crticlals,  Russian  settlers,  and  military  officers, 
were  not  excepticuolly  industrious  and  thrifty  men.  They 
were  mostly  starving  folk  who  fled  from  famine,  and  their 
prosperity  and  general  demeanor  give  me  the  hope  that  their 
countrymen  in  Korea,  if  they  ever  have  an  honest  adminis- 
tration and  protection  for  their  earnings,  may  slowly  develop 
into  men. 

In  parts  of  Western  Asia  I  have  had  occasion  to  note  the 
success  of  Russian  administration  in  conquered  or  acquired 
provinces,  and  with  subject  races,  specially  her  creation  of  an 
orderly,  peaceful,  and  settled  agricultural  population  out  of 
the  nomadic  and  predatory  tribes  of  Turkestan.  Her  success 
with  the  Korean  immigrants  is  in  its  way  as  remarkable,  for 
the  material  is  inferior.  She  is  firm  where  firmness  is  neces- 
sary, but  outside  that  limit  allows  extreme  latitude,  avoids 
harassing  aliens  by  petty  prohibitions  and  irksome  rules,  en- 
courages those  forms  of  local  selfgovernment  which  suit  the 


Korean  Settlers  in  Siberia 


237 


genius  and  habits  of  differc  t  peoples,  and  trusts  to  time,  edu- 
cation, aiid  contact  with  other  forms  of  civilization  q  amend 
\.hat  is  reprehensible  in  customs,  religion,  and  costume. 

A  few  days  later  I  went  to  Hun-chun  on  (he  frontier  of 
Chinese  Manchuria,  from  its  position  a  mportant  military 
post,  and  v  is  most  hospitably  received  le  Commandant 

and  his  married  aide-de-camp.  There,  verywliere  in  Pri- 
morsk,  and  from  the  civil  as  well  as  the  nnlitary  authorities,  I 
not  only  r-ceived  the  utmost  kindness,  courtesy,  and  hospital- 
ity, but  information  was  frankly  given  on  the  various  topics  I 
was  interested  in,  and  help  towards  the  attainment  of  my  ob- 
jects. Hun-chun  is  in  the  midst  of  mountainous  country,  de- 
nuded of  wood  in  recent  years,  and  abounding  in  rich,  well- 
watered  valleys  inhabited  only  by  Koreans.  A  wilder,  drear- 
ier, and  more  wind-swept  situation  it  would  be  hard  to  find. 

Instead  of  "4,000  troops"  there  were  only  200  Coss;icks, 
housed  in  a  good  brick  barrack,  one-half  of  which  is  a  much 
decorated  chapel,  besides  which  there  are  only  open  thatciied 
sheds  for  their  hardy,  active  Baikal  horses,  a  small,  well- 
arranged  hospital,  a  wooden  house  for  the  Colonel  Command- 
ant, and  some  terracotta  mud-houses  for  the  officers  and 
married  troopers.  The  whole  Russian  military  force  from 
Hun-chun  to  the  Amur  consisted  of  1,500  Cossacks,  distributed 
among  thirty  frontier  posts.  The  Commandant  told  me  that 
their  chief  duty  at  that  time  was  the  "daily"  arresting  of 
Chinese  brigands  who  crossed  the  frontier  tu  harry  the  Korean 
villages,  and  who,  on  being  marched  back  and  handed  over  to 
the  mandarins,  were  at  once  liberated  to  repeat  their  forays. 

The  Chinese  had  "massed"  several  thousand  of  their 
Manchu  troops  at  Hun-chun,  and  they  had  created  such  a 
reign  of  terror  that  the  peasant  farmers  had  deserted  their 
homes  over  a  large  area  of  country.  The  soldiers,  robbed  by 
their  officers  of  their  nominal  pay,  and  only  half  fed,  relied 
on  unlimited  pillage  for  making  up  the  deficiency,  and  neither 
women  nor  property  were  safe  from  their  brutality  and  violence. 


f\    ^•JV  Sir 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


►*% 


it 


i^ 


<. 


1.0 


I.I 


Itt 


u 

in 

IK 


13.6 


12.0 


125  i  1.4 


■  1.8 


1.6 


6> 


^ 


^} 


^ 


> 


^4>^ 


V  n 


/> 


o/^ 


150mm 


/APPLIED  J  ll\/.1GE  .  Inc 

.aa  1653  East  Main  street 
j:arm  Rochester,  NY  14609  USA 
_^^^  Phone:  716/482-0300 
.=«•-==  Fax:  716/288-5989 

O  IMS.  Afi(XM  Imcgt,  Inc..  AN  Rtghls  RMttvwl 


r 

0 


i 


238 


/ 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


So  desiKjratdy  uiulisciplinci  were  they  that  only  a  few  days 
before  the  Secretary  and  Interpreter  of  the  Russian  frontier 
Commissioner  at  Nowo  Kiewsk,  visiting  Hun-chun  on  official 
business,  narrowly  escaped  actual  violence  at  their  hands,  and 
the  Chinese  Governor  told  them  that  he  had  no  control  at  all 
over  the  troops.  It  was  only  the  rigid  discipline  of  the  Cos- 
sacks which  prevented  scrimmages  which  might  have  produced 
a  serious  conflagration. 


KOREAN  SETTLERS'  HOUSE. 


ys 
er 
al 
id 
Jl 
s- 
d 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  TRAMS-SIBERIAN   RAILROAD 

AFTER  returning  to  Wladivostok,  accompanied  by  a  young 
Danish  gentleman  who  was  kindly  lent  to  me  by  Messrs. 
Kuntz  and  Albers,  and  who  spoke  English  s  '.  Russian,  I 
spent  a  week  on  the  Ussuri  Railway,  the  eastern  section  of  the 
Trans-Siberian  Railway,  going  as  far  as  the  hamlet  of  Ussuri 
on  the  Ussuri  River  at  the  great  Ussuri  Bridge,  beyond  which 
the  line,  though  completed  for  50  versts,  was  not  open  for 
traffic.  Indeed,  up  to  that  point  from  Nikolskoye  trains  were 
run  twice  daily  rather  to  "  settle  the  line  "  than  for  profit,  and 
their  average  speed  was  only  twelve  miles  an  hour.  The 
weather  was  brilliant,  varied  by  a  heavy  snowstorm. 

The  present  Tsar  is  understood  to  be  enthusiastic  about  this 
railroad.     During  his  viait  to  Wladivostok   in   1891,  when 
Tsarevitch,  he  inaugurated  the  undertaking  by  wheeling  away 
the  first  barrowful  of  earth  and  placing  the  first  stone  in  posi- 
tion, after  which,  work  was  begun  simultaneously  at  both  ends. 
The  eastern  terminus  of  this  great  railroad  undertaking  is 
close  to  the  sea  and  the  Government  deep-water  pier,  at  which 
the  fine  steamers  from  Odessa  of  the  Jiussian  "Volunteer 
Fleet "  discharge  their  cargoes.     The  station  is  large  and  very 
handsome,  and  both  it  and  the  noble  administrative  offices  are 
built  of  gray  stone,  with  the  architraves  of  the  doors  and 
windows  in  red  brick.     Buffets  and  all  else  were  in  efficient 
working  order.     In  the  winter  ot    1895-96  only  third  and 
fourth  class  cars  were  running,  the  latter  chiefly  patronized  by 
Koreans  and  Chinese.     Each  third  class  carriage  is  divided 
into  three  compartments  with  a  corridor,  and  has  a  lavatory 

339 


240 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


and  steam-heating  apparatus.  The  backs  of  the  seats  are 
hooked  up  to  form  upi)er  berths  for  sleeping,  and  as  the  cars 
are  eight  feet  high  they  admit  of  broad  luggage  shelves  above 
these.  The  engines  which  ran  the  traffic  were  old  American 
locomotives,  but  those  which  ire  to  be  introduced,  as  well  as 
all  the  rolling  stock,  are  being  manufactured  in  the  Baltic 
provinces.  So  also  are  the  rails,  the  iron  and  steel  bridges, 
the  water  tanks,  the  iron  work  required  for  stations,  and  all 
else. 

Large  railway  workshops  with  rows  of  substantial  houses  for 
artisans  have  been  erected  at  Nikolskoye,  102  versts  liom 
Wladivostok,  for  the  repairs  of  fulling  stock  on  the  Uss  iri  sec- 
tion, and  were  already  in  full  activity. 

There  is  nothing  about  this  Ussuri  Railway  of  the  newness 
and  provisional  aspect  of  the  Western  American   lines,   or 
even  of  parts  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad.     The  track 
was  already  ballasted    as   far  as  Ussuri   (327  versts),   steel 
bridges  spanned  the  minor  streams,  and  substantial  stations 
either  of  stone  or  decorated  wood,  with  buffets  at  fixed  dis- 
tances, successfully  compare  both  in  stability  and  appearance 
with  those  of  our  English  branch  lines.    The  '    "  houses  are 
of  hewn  stone.     Houses  for  the  employes,  sr        ^  in  neatly 
fenced  gardens,  are  both  decorative  and  substa-^tial,  being 
built  of  cement  and  logs  protected  by  five  coats  01  paint,  and 
contain  four  rooms  each.     The  crossings  are  well  laid  and 
protected.     Culverts  and  retaining  walls  are  of  solid  masonry, 
and  telegraph  wires  accompany  the  road,  which  is  worked 
strictly  on  the  block  system.     The  aspect  of  solidity  and  per- 
manence is  remarkable.     Even  the  temporary  bridge  over  the 
Ussuri,  1,050  feet  in  length,  a  trestle  bridge  of  heavy  timber 
to  resist  the  impact  of  the  ice,  is  so  massive  as  to  make  the 
great  steel  bridge,  the  handsome  abutments  of  which  were  al- 
ready  built,  appear  as  if  it  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation. 
Up  to  that  point  there  are  no  serious  embankments  or  cut- 
tings, and  the  gradients  are  easy.     The  cost  of  construction 


The  Trans-Siberian  Railroad 


241 


of  the  Uss.iri  section  is  50,000  roubles  per  verst,  a  rouble  at 
this  time  being  worth  about   2s.  2.I.      Ibis  inchules  rolling 
stock,  stations,  and  all  bridges  except  that  over  tlie  Amur, 
which  was  to  cost  3,000,000  roubles,  but  may  now  be  dis- 
pensed with  owing  to  the  diversion  of  the  route  through  Man- 
churia.    Convict  labor  was  abandoned  in  1894,  and  the  line 
111  Primorsk  is  being  constructed  by  Cliinese  '•  navvies,"  who 
earn  about  80  cents  per  day,  and  who  were  bearing  the  rigor 
of  a  Siberian  winter  in  well-warmed,  semi -subterranean  huts, 
the  line  being  pushed  on  as  much  as  possible  during  the  cold 
season.     For  the  first  loa  versts,  it  passes  along  prettily  wooded 
shores  of  inlets  and  banks  of  streams,  and  the  country  is  fairly 
well  peopled,  judging  from  the  number  of  sleighs  and  the 
bustle  at  the  six  stations  ..r  route.     The  line  as  far  as  Nikols- 
koye  was  opened  in  early  November,  1893,  and  in  a  year  had 
earned  280,000  roubles.     The  last  section  had  only  been  open 
for  eight  weeks  when  I  travelled  upon  it. 

Nikol-  'coye,  where  I  spent  two  pleasant  days  at  the  hospit- 
able estaDhshment  of  Messrs.  Ktintz  and  Ali,ers,  is  the  only 
place  between  ^Vladivostok  and  Ussuri  of  any  present  impor- 
tancc.     I:  is  a  viUafrg  of  8,000  inhabitants  on  a  rich  rolling 
prairie,  watered  by  the  Siphun.     It  has  six  streets  of  grotesque 
width,  a  verst  and  a  half  long  each.     There  is  no  poverty.     It 
.s  a  place  of  rapid  growth  and  prosperity,  the  centre  of  a  great 
trade  in  gram,  and  has  a  large  flour  mill  owned  by  Mr.  Lind- 
holm,  P  Government  contractor.     It  has  a  spacious  market- 
place and  bazaar,  and  two  churches.     It  reminds  me  of  parts 
of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  houses  are  of  wood,  plastered  and 
whitewaahed,  with  corrugated  iron  roofs  mainly.     A  i^^N  are 
thatched.     All  stand  in  plots  of  garden  ground.     Utilitarian- 
ism IS  supreme.     I  drove  for  20  miles  in  the  region  round  the 
settlement,  and  everywhere  saw  prosperous  farms  and  farming 
villages  on  the  prairie,  Russian  and  Korean,  and  found  the 
settlers  kindly  and  hospitable,  and  surrounded  by  material 
comfort.     Nikolskoye  is  a  great  military  station.     There  were 


i 


242 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


infantry  and  artillery  to  the  number  of  9,000,  and  there,  as 
elsewhere,  large  new  barracks  were  being  pushetl  to  completion. 
An  area  of  50  acres  was  covered  with  brick  barracks,  maga- 
zines, stables,  drill  and  parade  grounds,  and  officers'  quarters, 
and  the  military  club  is  a  really  fnie  building.  Newness,  prog- 
ress, and  confidence  in  the  future  are  as  characteristic  of  Nikols- 
koye  as  of  any  rising  town  in  the  Far  West  of  America. 

The  farther  journey,  occupying  the  greater  part  of  two  days 
and  a  night,  except  when  near  the  swamps  of  the  Hanka  Lake, 
is  through  a  superb  farming  region.  Large  villages  with  wind- 
mills are  met  with  along  the  line  for  the  first  30  versts,  as  far 
as  the  buffet  station  of  Spasskoje.  The  stonelcss  soil,  a  rich 
loam  6  feet  and  more  in  depth,  produces  heavy  crops  of  oats, 
wheat,  barley,  maize,  rye.  potatoes,  and  tobacco.  Beyond 
Spasskoje  and  east  of  the  Hanka  Lake  up  to  the  Amur  a  mag- 
nificent region  waits  to  be  peopled. 

Well  may  Eastern  Siberia  receive  the  name  of  Russia's 
"Pacific  Empire,"  including  as  it  does  the  Amur  and  Mari- 
time provinces,  with  their  area  of  880,000  square  miles,'  rich 
in  gold,  copper,  iron,  lead,  and  coal,  and  with  a  soil  which 
for  a  vast  extent  is  of  unbounded  fertility.  When  China  ceded 
to  Russia  in  i860  the  region  which  we  call  Russian  Manchuria, 
she  probably  did  so  in  ignorance  of  its  vast  agricultural  capac- 
ities and  mineral  wealth. 

The  noble  Amur,  with  its  forest-covered  shores,  is  navigable 
for  1,000  miles,  and  already  50  merchant  steamers  ply  npon  it, 
and  its  great  tributary  the  Ussuri  can  be  navigated  to  within 
1 20  miles  of  Wladivostok.  The  great  basin  of  the  Ussuri,  it 
is  estimated,  could  support  five  million  people,  and  from  Kha- 
baroffka  to  the  Tumen,  it  is  considered  by  experts  that  the 
land  could  sustain  from  20  to  40  to  the  square  mile,  while  at 
present  the  population  of  the  Amur  and  Ussuri  provinces  is 
only  |ths  of  a  man  to  the  square  mile  ! 

•The  area  of  France  is  204,000,  and  that  of  the  British  Isles  120,000 
square  miles. 


as 


The  'rrans-Sibfriaii  Railroad 


243 


Grass,  timber,  water,  coal,  minerals,  a  soil  as  rich  as  tlie 
prairies  of  Illinois,  and  a  climate  not  only  favorable  to  agri- 
culture but  to  human  health,  all  await  the  settler,  ami  tlie 
broad,  unoccupied,  and  fertile  lands  which  Russian  Manchuria 
offers  are  clamoring  for  inhabitants.  To  set  against  these  ad- 
vantages there  are  the  fro/en  waterways  and  the  ice-bound 
harbor.  It  is  utterly  impossible  that  an  increasing  pcpulation 
will  content  itself  without  an  outlet  for  its  produce.  A  port 
on  the  Pacific  open  all  the  year  is  fast  becoming  as  much  a 
commercial  as  a  political  necessity,  and  doubtless  the  oj^ening 
of  the  Trans-Siberian  Railroad  four  years  hence  will  settle  the 
question  (if  it  has  not  been  settled  before)  and  doom  the  policy 
which  has  shut  Russia  up  in  regions  of  "  thick  ribbed  ice"  to 
utter  extinction. 

In  the  Maritime  Province,  Russia  is  steadily  and  solidly  lay- 
ing the  foundations  of  a  new  empire  which  she  purposes  to 
make  as  nearly  as  possible  a  homogeneous  one.     "  No  for- 
eigner need  apply"  !     The  emigrants,  who  are  going  out  at 
the  rate  of  from  700  to  1,000  families  a  year,  are  of  a  good 
class.     Emigration  is  fostered  in  two  ways.     By  the  first,  the 
Government  grants  assisted  passages  to  heads  of  families  who 
are  possessed  of  600  roubles  (about  ^60  at  present),  which 
are  deposited  with  a  Government  official  at  Odessa,  and  are 
repaid  to  the  emigrant  on  landing  at  Wladivostok.     The  in- 
dustry and  thrift  represented  by  this  sum  indicate  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  best  class  of  settlers.     Under  the  second  arrange- 
ir-nt,  families  possessed  of  little  capital  or  none  receive  free 
p-   iges.     On  arriving,  emigrants  of  both  classes  are  lodged 
in  excellent  emigrant  barracks,  and  can  buy  the  necessary 
agricultural  implements  at  cost  price  from  a  Government  dep6t, 
advice  as  to  the  purchase  being  thrown  in.     Each  family  re- 
ceives a  free  allotment  of  from  200  to  300  acres  of  arable  land, 
and  a  loan  of  600  roubles,  to  be  repaid  without  interest  in 
thirty-two  years,  the  young  male  colonists  being  exempted  from 
military  service  for  the  same  period.     Already  much  of  the 


I 


« 


244 


lil  : 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


land  along  the  line  as  far  as  the  Ussuri  has  been  allotted,  and 
houses  are  rapidly  springing  up,  and  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent this  fnie  country  from  being  peopled  up  to  tlie  Amur  the 
rivers  Sungacha  and  Ussuri,  which  form  the  boundary  of  Russia 
from  the  Hanka  Lake  to  Khabaroffka,  giving  a  natural  protec- 
tion from  Chinese  brigandage.  In  addition  to  direct  emigra- 
tion, large  numbers  of  time-expired  men,  chiefly  Cossacks,  are 
encouraged  to  settle  on  lands  and  do  so. 

It  would  be  shortsighted  to  minimize  the  importance  of  the 
present  drift  of  population  to  Eastern  Siberia,  which  is  likely 
to  assume  immense  proportions  on  the  opening  of  the  railway 
or  the  commercial  value  of  that  colossal  undertaking,  which  is 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  treaty  under  which  Russia  ha.  taken 
powers  to  run  the  Trans-Siberian  line  through  Chinese  Man- 
churia.    The  creation  of  a  new  route  which  will  bring  the  Far 
East  within  6,000  miles  and  16  days  of  London,  and  cheaiKfi. 
the  cost  of  the  transit  of  passengers  very  considerably,  cannot 
be  overlooked  either.     The  railroad  is  being  built  for  futurity, 
and  IS  an  enterprize  worthy  of  the  great  nation  which  under- 
takes  It.' 

'  I  am  very  glad  to  l«  able  .0  fortify  my  opinion  of  the  solid  and  care- 

fhl7-  TT.        "'  """^  ^'  "•"'  •"■  ^■'''°"^'  ^^"•"'''  """•»'y  «"ach6  .0 
the  British  Embassy  at  St.  Petersburg,  who  has  recently  crossed  Siberia. 

and  desires  to  give  emphatic  testimony  to  "  the  magnificent  character  of 
he  great  railway  crossing  Siberia."  as  well  as  by  that  of  another  recent 

traveller.  Mr.  J.  Y.  Simpson,  who.  in  B/.cJtu.oo^s  Afa,^u„,  for  Janua^ 
897.  in  an  arucle  "The  C;reat  Sil,erian  Iron  Road." after  a  long  descrS 

tion  of  the  laborious  carefulness  with  which  the  line  is  being  built,  writes 

thus^  «  Lastly,  one  is  impressed  with  the  extremely JiHisheJmXyxro  of  the 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   king's  oath— an  AUDIENCE 

T    EAVING  Wladivoslok  by  the  last  Japanese  steamer  of  the 
-L^  season.  I  spent  two  days  at  Won-san,  little  changed,  ex- 
cept that  Its  background  of  mountains  was  snow-covered,  that 
the  Koreans  were  enriched  by  the  extravagant  sums  paid  for 
labor  by  the  Japanese  during  the  war,  that  business  was  active, 
and  that  Japanese  sentries  in  wooden  sentry-boxes  guarded  the 
peaceful  streets.     Twelve  thousand  Japanese  troops  had  passed 
through  VV5n.san  on  their  way  to  Phyong-yang.     At  Fusan, 
my  next  point,  there  were  200  Japanese  soldiers,  new  water- 
works, and  a  military  cemetery  on  a  height,  in  which  the 
number  of  graves  showed  an  enormous  Japanese  mortality 

Reaching  Chemulpo  on  5th  January,  ,895,  vid  Nagaski,  I 
found  a  singular  contrast  to  the  crowd,  bustle,  and  excitement 
of  the  previous  June.     In  the  outer  harbor  there  were  two  for- 
eign warships  only,   in   the   inner  three  Js     rese  merchant 
steamers.     The    former    predominant    military  element   was 
represented  by  a  few  soldiers,  ten  large  hospital  sheds,  and  a 
crowded  cemetery,  in  which  the  Japanese  military  dead  lie  in 
rows  of  60,  each  grave  marked  by  a  wooden  obelisk.     The 
solid  and  crowded  Chinese  quarter,  with  its  roaring  trade, 
large  shops,  and  noise  of  drums,  gongs,  and  crackers,  by  day 
and  night,  was  silent  and  deserted,  and  not  a  single  Chinese 
was  in  the  street  as  I  went  up  to  I-tai's  inn.     One  shop  had 
ventured   to  reopen.     At  night,   instead  of  throngs,  noise, 
lights,  and  jollification,  there  was  a  solitary  glimmer  from  be- 
hind a  closed  shutter.     The  Japanese  occupation  had  been  as 
destructive  of  that  quarter  of  Chemulpo  as  a  medieval  pes- 
tilence. *^ 


i 


246 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


In  the  Japanese  (luarter  and  all  along  the  shore  the  utmost 
activity  prevailed.  The  l)each  was  stacked  with  incoming  and 
outgoing  cargo.  'I'he  streets  were  only  just  passiible,  not  alone 
from  the  enormous  traffic  on  bulls'  and  coolies'  backs,  but  from 
the  piles  of  l)eans  and  rice  wiiich  were  being  measured  and 
packed  on  the  roadway.  Prices  were  high,  wages  had  more 
tnan  doubled,  ••squeezing"  was  diminished,  and  the  Koreans 
were  working  with  a  will. 

I  went  up  to  Seoul  on  horseback,  snow  falling  the  whole 
time.  So  safe  was  the  country  that  no  escort  was  needed,  an.l 
I  rode  as  far  as  Oricol  without  even  a  mapu.  The  halfway 
house  of  my  first  visit  was  a  Japanese  post,  and  going  to  it  in 
Ignorance  of  the  change,  I  was  very  kindly  received  by  the 
Japanese  soldiers,  who  gave  me  tea  and  a  brazier  of  charcoal. 
The  Seoul  road,  pegged  out  by  Japanese  surveyors  for  a  rail- 
road, was  thickly  sprinkled  for  the  whole  distance  with  laden 
men  and  bulls. 

At  Seoul  I  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  Hillier,"  the  British  Consul- 
General,  for  five  weeks.  The  weather  was  glorious,  and  the 
mercury  sank  on  two  occasions  to  7°  below  zero,  the  lowest 
temperature  on  record.  I  received  the  warmest  welcome  from 
the  kindly  foreign  community,  and  was  steeped  in  Seoul  life, 
the  political  and  other  interests  growing  upon  n.e  daily;  and 
having  a  pony  and  a  soldier  at  my  disposal,  I  saw  the  city  in 
all  Its  turnings  and  windings,  and  the  charming  country  out- 
side the  gates,  and  several  of  the  Royal  tombs  with  their  fine 
trees,  and  avenues  of  stately  stone  figures. 

The  stagnation  of  the  pr-vious  winter  was  at  an  end.  Japan 
was  in  the  ascendant.  She  had  a  large  garrison  in  the  capital, 
some  of  the  leading  men  in  the  Cabinet  were  her  nominees, 
her  officers  were  drilling  the  Korean  army,  changes,  if  not  im- 
provements, were  everywhere,  and  the  air  was  thick  with 
rumors  of  more  to  come.  The  King,  whose  Royal  authority 
was  nominally  restored  to  him,  accepted  the  situation,  the 
Queen  was  credited  with  intriguing  against  the  Japanese,  but 


Tlu'  King's  Oath — An  Auilicnce         247 

Count  Iiioiiye  was  acting  as  J.ipanesc  minister,  and  his  Tirmness 
and  tact  kept  everything  snjuoth  on  the  surface. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1895,  I  witnessed  a  singular  cere- 
mony, which  may  have  far  reaching  results  in  Korean  history. 
The  Japanese  having  presented  Korea  with  the  gift  of  Inde- 
pendence, demanded  that  the  King  should  formally  and  pub- 
licly renounce  the  suzerainty  of  China,  and  having  resolved  to 
cleanse  the  Augean  stable  of  official  corruption,  they  com- 
pelled him  to  inaugurate  the  task  by  pro(  ceding  in  semi-state 
to  the  Altar  of  the  Spirits  of  the  Land,  and  there  pr(x;laiming 
Korean  independence,  and  swearing  before  the  spirits  of  his 
ancestors  to  the  proposed  reforms.  His  Majesty,  by  exagger- 
ating a  trivial  ailment,  had  for  some  time  delayed  a  step  which 
was  very  repulsive  to  him,  and  even  the  day  before  the  cere- 
mony, a  dream  in  which  an  Ancestral  Spirit  had  appeared  to 
him  adjuring  him  not  to  depart  from  ancestral  ways,  terrified 
him  from  taking  the  proposed  pledge. 

But  the  spirit  of  Count  Inouye  proved  more  masterful  than 
the  Ancestral  Spirit,  and  the  oath  was  taken  in  circumstances 
of  great  solemnity  in  a  dark  pine  wood,  under  the  shadow  of 
Puk  Han,  at  the  most  sacred  altar  in  Korea,  in  presence  of  the 
Court  and  the  dignitaries  of  the  kingdom.  Old  and  serious 
men  had  fasted  and  mourned  for  two  previous  days,  and  in  the 
vast  crowd  ^'white-robed  and  black-hatted  men  which  looked 
down  upon  hr;  striking  scene  from  a  hill  in  the  grounds  of  the 
Mulberry  Palace,  there  was  not  a  smile  or  a  spoken  word. 
The  sky  was  dark  and  grim,  and  a  bitter  east  wind  was  blow- 
ing— ominous  signs  in  Korean  estimation. 

The  Royal  procession,  which  had  something  of  the  aspect 
of  the  kur-tione^,  was  shorn  of  the  barbaric  splendor  which 
made  that  ceremonial  one  of  the  most  imposing  in  the  Eastern 
world.  It  was,  in  fact,  barbaric  with  the  splendor  left  out ; 
and  there  were  suggestions  of  a  new  era  and  a  forthcoming 
swamping  wave  of  Western  civilization,  in  the  presence  within 
the  Palace  gates  and  in  the  procession  or  a  few  trim,  dapper. 


248  Korea  and  Her  Ntighbors 

bluc-ulstered  Ja,«.ne«j  po,icen,cn.  a.  the  special  protector,  of 
the  Home  Muns.er  Palc-Yflng-Ho,  one  of  the  revoh.tion.rir, 
of  .884.  aga.nst  whom  there  was  a  vow  of  vengeance,  though 
the  Kn.g  had  been  com,,elled  to  pardon  him,  to  reinstate  his 
ancestors  who  had  been  degraded,  to  recall  him  from  exile 
and  to  confer  upon  him  high  office. 

The  long  road  oi.tside  the  Palace  was  lined  with  Korean 
cavalry,  who  turned  their  face,  to  the  wall  and  their  backs  and 
their  pomes'  tails  to  the  King.     Great  numbers  of  Korean 
soldiers  carrying  various  makes  of  muskets,  dressed  in  rusty 
black   brown,  and  blue  cotton  uniforms,  trousers  sometimes  a 
foot  too  short,  at  others  a  foot  too  long,  white  wadded  socks, 
.    ng  shoes   and  black  felt  hats  of  Tyrdese  style,  with  pink 
nLbon  round  the  crowns,  stood  in  awkward  hu.ldles,  mixed  up 
with  the  newly-created  Seoul  police  in  blue  European  uniforms, 
and  a  number  of  handson.e  overfed  ponies  of  Court  officials 
with  saddles  over  a  foot  high,  gorgeous  barbaric  trappings,  red 
pompons  on   their  heads,  and  a  flow  of  red  manes      The 
populace  stood  without  speech  or  movement. 

After  a  long  delay  and  much  speculation  as  to  whether  the 
King  at  the  last  moment  would  resist  the  foreign  pressure,  the 
procession  emerged  from  th.  Palace  gate-huge  flags  on  trident- 
headed  poles   purple  bundles  carried  aloft,  a  stand  of  stones 
conveyed  with  much  ceremony '-groups  of  scarlet-  and  blue- 
robed  men  ,n  hats  of  the  same  colors,  shaped  like  fools'  caps, 
he  King  s  personal  servants  in  yellow  robes  and  yellow  bam- 
boo  hats,  and  men  carrying  bannerets.     Then  came  the  red 
silk  umbrella,  followed  not  by  the  magnificent  State  chair  with 
us  forty  bearers,  but  by  a  plain  wooden  chair  with  glass  sides, 
n  which  sat  the  sovereign,  pale  and  dejected,  borne  by  only 
Ajur  men.     The  Crown  Prince  followed  in  a  similar  chair 
Mandarins    ministers,  and  military  officers  were  then  assisted 
to  mount  their  caparisoned  ponies,  and  each,  with  two  attend- 
'  These  are  ancient  musical  instruments  called  by  the  Chinese  cA'inir 
and  were  in  use  at  courts  in  the  days  of  Confucius.  ^' 


•  i 


KOREAN  THRONE. 


The  King's  Oath— An  Audience         249 

ants  holding  his  stirrups  and  two  more  leading  his  pony,  fell 
in  behind  the  Home  Minister,  riding  a  dark  donkey,  and  ren- 
dered conspicuous  by  his  foreign  saddle  and  foreign  guard. 
When  the  procession  reached  the  sacred  enclosure,  the  mili- 
tary escort  and  the  greater  part  of  the  cavalcade  remained  out- 
side  the  wall,  only  the  King,  dignitaries,  and  principal  at- 
tendants proceeding  to  the  altar.  The  grouping  of  the  scarlet- 
robed  men  under  the  dark  pines  was  most  effective  from  an 
artistic  point  of  view,  and  from  a  political  standpoint  the 
takmg  of  the  following  oath  by  the  Korean  King  was  one 
of  the  most  significant  ac  1  the  tedious  drama  of  the  late 
war. 


THE  king's  oath. 

On  this  I2th  d.iy  of  the  lath  moon  of  the  sojrd  year  of  the  founding 
or  the  Dynasty,  we  presume  to  announce  clearly  to  the  Spirits  of  all  our 
Sacred  Imperial  Ancestors  that  we.  their  lowly  descendant,  received  in 
early  childhood,  now  thirty  and  one  years  ago.  the  ntighty  heritage  of  our 
ancestors,  and  that  in  reverent  awe  towards  Heaven,  and  following  in  the 
rule  and  pattern  of  our  ancestors,  we.  though  we  have  encountered  many 
h-oubles.  have  not  loosed  hold  of  the  thread.     How  dare  we.  your  lowly 
descendant,  aver  that  we  are  acceptable  to  the  heart  of  Heaven  ?     It  is 
only  that  our  ancestors  have  graciously  looked  down  upon  us  and  be- 
nignly protected  us.     Splendidly  did  our  ancestor  lay  the  foundation  of 
our  Royal  House,  opening  a  way  for  us  his  descendants  through  fivehun- 
dred  years  and  three.     Now.  in  our  generation,  the  times  are  mightily 
changed,  and  men  and  matters  are  expanding.     A  friendly  Power,  design, 
ing  to  prove  faithful,  and  the  deliberations  of  our  Council  aiding  thereto, 
show  that  only  as  an  independent  ruler  can  we  make  our  country  strong 
How  can  we,  your  lowly  descendant,  not  conform  to  the  spirit  of  the  time 
and  thus  guard  the  domain  bequeathed  by  our  ancestors  ?     How  venture 
not  to  strenuously  exert  ourselves  and  stiffen  and  anneal  us  in  order  to  add 
lustre  to  the  virtues  of  our  predecessors.     For  all  time  from  now  no  other 
State  w.II  we  lean  upon,  but  will  make  broad  the  steps  of  our  country  to- 
wards prosperity,  buildmg  up  the  happiness  of  our  people  in  order  to 
strengthen  the  foundations  of  our  independence.     When  we  ponder  on 
th:s  course,  let  there  be  no  sticking  in  the  old  ways,  no  practice  of  ease 
or  of  dalliance;  but  docilely  let  us  carry  out  the  great  designs  of  our  an- 


25:0 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


cestors,  watching  and  observing  sublunary  con.litions,  refoiming  our  in- 
ternal  administration,  remedying  there  accumulated  abuses. 

We,  your  lowly  descendant,  do  now  take  the  fourteen  clauses  of  the 
Great  Charter  and  swear  before  the  Spirits  of  our  Ancestors  in  Heaven 
that  we,  reverently  trusting  in  the  merits  bequeathed  by  our  ancestors 
will  bring  these  to  a  successful  issue,  nor  will  we  dare  to  go  back  on  our 
word.     Do  you,  bright  Spirits,  descend  and  behold ! 

1.  All  thoughts  of  dependence  on  China  shall  be  cut  away,  and  a  firm 
foundation  for  independence  secured. 

2.  A  rule  and  ordinance  for  the  Royal  House  shall  be  established,  in 
order  to  make  clear  the  line  of  succession  and  precedence  among  the 
Royal  family.  ^ 

3.  The  King  shall  attend  at  the  Great  Hall  for  the  inspection  of  affairs, 
where,  after  personally  interrogating  his  Ministers,  he  shall  decide  upon 
matters  of  State.  The  Queen  and  the  Royal  family  are  not  allowed  to 
interfere. 

4.  Palace  matters  and  the  government  of  the  country  must  be  kept 
separate,  and  may  not  be  mixed  up  together. 

5.  The  duties  and  powers  of  the  Cabinet  and  of  the  various  Ministers 
shall  be  clearly  defined. 

6.  The  payment  of  taxes  by  the  people  shall  be  regulated  by  law. 
Wrongful  additions  may  not  be  made  to  the  list,  and  no  excess  collected. 

7.  The  assessment  and  collection  of  the  land  tax,  and  the  disbursement 
of  expenditure,  shall  be  under  the  charge  and  control  of  the  Finance  De- 
partment. 

8.  The  expenses  of  the  Royal  household  shall  be  the  first  to  be  reduced 
by  way  of  setting  an  example  to  the  various  Ministries  and  local  offi-' 
cials. 

9.  An  estimate  shall  be  drawn  up  in  advance  each  year  of  the  expen- 
diture  of  the  Royal  household  and  the  various  official  establishments, 
putting  on  a  firm  foundation  the  management  of  the  revenue. 

10.  The  regulations  of  the  local  officers  must  be  revised  in  order  to 
discriminate  the  functions  of  the  local  officials. 

11.  Young  men  of  intelligence  in  the  country  shall  be  sent  abroad  in 
order  to  study  foreign  science  and  industries. 

12.  The  instruction  of  army  officers,  and  the  practice  of  the  methods 
of  enlistment,  to  secure  the  foundation  of  a  military  system. 

13.  Civil  law  and  criminal  law  must  he  strictly  and  clearly  laid  down- 
none  must  be  imprisoned  or  fined  in  excess,  so  that  security  of  life  and 
property  may  be  ensured  for  all  alike. 


The  King's  Oath— An  Audience         251 

14.  Men  shall  l)c  employed  without  rcganl  to  llicir  origin,  and  in  seek- 
ing for  officials  recourse  shall  be  ha.l  to  capital  and  country  alike  in  order 
to  widen  the  avenues  for  ability. 

Official  translation  of  the  text  of  the  oath  taken  by  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Korea,  at  the  Altar  of  Heaven, 
Seoul,  on  January  8,  1895. 

Though  at  this  date  Korea  is  being  reformed  under  otiier 
than  Japanese  auspices,  it  is  noteworthy  that  nearly  every  step 
in  advance  is  on  the  lines  laid  down  by  Japan. 

Count  Inouye  is  reported  by  the  Nichi  Nichi  Shimbun  to 
have  said  regarding  Korea,  "In  my  eyes  there  were  only  the 
Royal  Family  and  the  nation."  Such  a  conclusion  was  legit- 
imate in  the  early  part  of  1895,  and  in  arriving  at  it  as  I  did 
I  am  glad  to  be  sheltered  by  such  an  unexceptionable  au- 
thority. 

Hence  it  was  with  real  pleasure  that  I  received  an  invitation 
from  the  Queen  to  a  private  audience,  to  which  I  was  accom- 
panied by  Mrs.  Underwood,  an  American  medical  missionary 
and  the  Queen's  physician  and  valued  friend.  Mr.  Hillier 
sent  me  to  the  Kyeng  pok  Palace  in  an  eight-bearer  official 
chair,  escorted  by  the  Korean  Legation  Guard.  I  have  been 
altogether  six  times  at  this  palace,  and  always  with  increased 
wonder  at  its  intricacy,  and  admiration  of  its  quaintness  and 
beauty. 

Entering  by  a  grand  three-arched  gateway  with  its  stone- 
balustraded  stone  staircase,  and  stone  lions  on  stone  pedestals 
below,  one  is  bewildered  by  the  number  of  large  flagged  court- 
yards, huge  audience-halls,  pavilions,  buildings  of  all  descrip- 
tions more  or  less  decorated,  stone  bridges,  narrow  passages, 
and  gateways  with  double  tiered  carved  roofs  through  and 
among  which  one  passes.  A  Japanese  policeman  was  at  the 
grand  gate.  At  each  of  the  interior  gates,  and  there  are 
many,  there  were  six  Korean  sentries  lounging,  who  pulled 
themselves  together  as  we  approached  and  presented  arms  I 
What  with  800  troops,  1,500  attendants  and  officials  of  all  de- 


m 


252  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

scriptions.  courtiers  and  ministers  and  their  attendants  secre- 
^nes  messengers,  and  hangers-on,  the  vast  enclosure  ote 
Palace  seemed  as  crowded  and  populated  as  the  city  its  If 
We  had  nearly  half  a  mile  of  buildings  to  pass  through'b  fore 
we  reached  a  very  pretty  artificial  lake  with  a  decorative  ZZ 

not  long  before,  and  the  simple  Korean  buildings  then  occu- 
P.ed  by  the  King  and  Queen.     Alighting  at  the  gat^^^^^^^^ 

Lrb?ttc^'^'f.  r "  ^'-Q-"'sLse,;f:e7r : 

tirOuee^.'s.H  ''■?'•''"'  '  """'^"  °f  ^"""<=''«'  two  of 

head  of  tL  i'f '"."T'^'"^'  '"^  ""''  """^'  ^'^°  -««  at  the 

a«ed   wit    de   i'n!  f"'''  ^"^  »^^'^"^«^^  P^«on.  middle- 
aged,  with  decidedly  fine  features. 

In  a  simple  room  hung  with  yellow  silk  we  were  entertained 
n  courteous  fashion  with  coffee  and  cake  on  arr    i  Hnd 
afterwards  at  dinner,  the  nurse,  "supported"  by  the  Co" t 
jn^rpreter    taking  the  l.ad  of  the'vly  prettily  decoraTd 
table.     1  he  dinner  was  admirably  cooked  in  "  foreign  style  " 
and  included  soup,  fish,  quails,  wild  d.ick,  pheasant    Zm 
and  rolled  beef,  vegetables,  creams,  glace  wa  .n.ts.  fr       cl  fet 
and  coffee.     Several  of  the  Court  ladies  and  othe  s  a  It  S 
w.th  us.     After  this  long  delay  we  were  ushered.  accoCied 
only  by  the  interpreter,  into  a  small  audience-rooruTn   1  e 
da^  at  one  end  of  which  stood  the  King,  the  CroM,  plce 
and  the  Queen  in  front  of  three  crimson  velvet  chaTT  w  irh 

ated^s^rrr  '-'  '''''"'-'  -'  ^^^^^i 
asked  us  to  be  seated  on  two  chairs  which  were  provided 

Her  Majesty,  who  was  then  past  forty,  was  a  very  nice- 
look,  ng  slender  woman,  with  glossy  raven-black  hair  a  da 
V    y  pale  skin,  the  pallor  enhanced  by  the  use  of  pearl "ow 
The  eyes  were  cold  and  keen,  and  the  general  expression 
one  of  brilliant  intelligence.     She  wore  a  very  handsom'ev  ^ 

P   ated   wTt°"'  ''•"  °!;"^^"'"^  blue 'brocade,  hkvy' 
pleated,  w.th  the  waist  und  -  the  arms,  and  a  full  sleeved 

bodice  of  crimson  and  blue  brocade,  clalped  at  the  thrt^by 


The  King's  Oath— An  Audience         253 

a  coral  rosette  and  girdled  by  six  crimson  and  blue  cords, 
each  one  clasped  with  a  coral  rosette,  with  a  crimson  silk  tasse 
hanging  from  .t.  Her  headdress  was  a  crownless  black  silk 
cap  edged  with  fur,  pointed  over  the  brow,  with  a  coral  rose 
and  full  red  tassel  an  front,  and  jewelled  aigrettes  on  either 
«de.  Her  shoes  were  of  the  same  brocade  as  her  dress.  As 
soon  as  she  began  to  speak,  and  especially  when  she  became 

The  King  is  short  and  sallow,  certainly  a  plain  man,  wear- 
ing a  th.n  moustache  and  a  tuft  on  the  chin.  He  is  nervous 
and  twitches  his  hands,  but  his  pose  and  manner  are  not 
without  d.gn.ty.  His  face  is  pleasing,  and  his  kindliness  of 
nature  ,s  well  known.  I„  conversation  the  Queen  prompted 
h  m  a  good  deal.     He  an-'  tiie  Crown  Prince  were  dressed 

n ,'«  '.V.  I '''''^"  '^'  '^'  "'^^^^^  ^'"^  '''^''  ^d  volumin- 
ous wadded  white  trouse...  Over  these  they  wore  first,  white 
silk  tunics,  next  pale  green  ones,  and  over  all  sleeveless  dresses 
of  mazarine  blue  brocade.  The  whole  costume,  being  exquis- 
tiveb^  fresh,  was  pleasing.     On  their  heads  they  wore  hats  and 

ST  ,  T  ^r  ''°"'''''"''  «^"^^'  ^'''^  1^'^^k  silk  hoods 
bordered  with  fur,  for  the  mercury  stood  at  5°  below  zero. 
The  Crown  Prince  is  fat  and  flabby,  and  though  unfortunately 
very  near-sighted,  etiquette  forbids  him  to  wear  spectades 
and  at  that  time  he  produced  on  every  one  as  on  mfthe  im^ 
pression  of  being  completely  an  invalid.  He  was  the  onlv 
son  and  the  Idol  of  his  mother,  who  lived  in  ceaseless  anx"  y 

shtMbed/l     'A"'  "  '"^'  ''''  ''^'^^  of  a  concub 
shouW  be  declared  heir  to  the  throne.     To  this  cause  must  be 

conlin"    ?  Tf  °'  ''■'  -«^-P"'°-  acts,  her  invoking  the 
continual  aid  of  sorcerers,  and  her  always  increasing  benefac- 

ZV:    ;  ^"'''"-^  r "'^-     ^"""«  '-^'^  -f  ^he'audience 
mother  and  son  sat  with  clasped  hands. 

allM'  **""  ^r\^^^  .^'d  "^^"y  kind  things  to  me  person- 
ally, showing  herself  quick-witted  as  well  as  courteous,  she 


II  > 


254  Korea  and  Her  Neiglilwrs 

said  son.e.l,i„g  ,o  .he  King.  „|,o  iramediaiely  took  u„  th, 
versa.,0,,  and  continued  i,  for  another  lul  IC     ^.he  Z' 

p.o.„,„^£n,.,:i„,::iri:t^^ 

i   should   like   you   to   be  suitably  attended"      w/»i 
curtseyed  ourselves  m.f  =f.»H  •^ucnuea.        We  then 

an  u;:iX;:i::;:;:::;;;f  ^  -r^^--'  tumed  out  to  be 

officers,  ha[f  rregtr  !';?  '7  '  "?'^'"«  ^'  '^^^  '"""^^>' 
attendants  !     I   va  Tin    ''^'^'''\^'"'  ^  """'^^^^  «f  Palace 

,~,.:;:;l::r;e^:3:i^^^^^^^^^ 

too,  m  m  simplicity  and  soliditv   ,«  th«  c   '"'^""^-    ^"nd, 
"Hall  nf  r«       .  1  soiiaity,  is  the  Summer  Pa  ace  or 

beautiful.  '"^noJ'ths.     The  situation  and  the  views  are 

During  the  next  three  weeks  I  Inri  fi,r«» 


up  the  con- 
^t  the  close 
;e  Pavilion, 
y  days  and 
he  added, 
We  then 
interesting 
>  us,  and  a 
•f  red  and 

•  out  to  be 
'e  military 
of  Palace 
grandeur 
Audience 
iple  flight 
ding,  the 
»  painted 
red  with 
nting  the 
Grand, 
'a  lace  or 
^reached 
1  beauti- 
id  by  a 
I  it  on  a 
'uilding. 
>rted  on 
t  square 
lews  are 

ices,  on 
rwcod, 
strictly 
asion  I 


C/) 

o 

< 

:j 
< 

Oi 

o 
y^ 
o 
u 

o 
■-] 

< 

a: 


ai 

O 

o 


a, 
ai 


The  King's  Oath— An  Audience 


25J 


f 


was  impressed  with  the  grace  and  charming  manner  of  the 
Queen,  her  thoughtful  kindness,  her  singular  intelligence  and 
force,  and  her  remarkable  conversational  power  even  through 
the  medium  of  an  interpreter.     I  was  not  surprised  at  her 
suigular  political  influence,  or  her  sway  over  the  King  and 
many  others.     She  was  surrounded  by  enemies,  chief  among 
them  being  the  Tai-Won-Kun,  the  King's  father,  all  embittered 
against  her  because  by  her  talent  and  force  she  had  succeeded 
in  placing  members  of  her  family  in  nearly  all  the  chief  offices 
of  State.     Her  life  was  a  battle.     She  fought  with  all  her 
charm,  shrewdness,  and  sagacity  for  power,  for  the  dignity 
and  safety  of  her  husband  and  son,  and  for  the  downfall  of  the 
Tai-Won-Kun.     She  had  cut  short  many  lives,  but  in  doing  so 
she  had  not  violated  Korean  tradition  and  custom,  and  some 
excuse  for  her  lies  in  the  fact  that  soon  after  the  King's  ac- 
cession his  father  sent  to  the  house  of  Her  Majesty's  brother  an 
infernal  machine  in  the  shape  of  a  beautiful  box,  which  on  be- 
ing opened  exploded,  killing  her  mother,  brother,  and  nephew 
as  well  as  some  others.     Since  then  he  plotted  against  her  I 
own  life,  and  the  feud  between  them  was  usually  at  fever  heat 
The    dynasty  is  worn    out,  and  the  King,  with  all  his 
amiability  and  kindness  of  heart,  is  weak  in  character  and  is 
at  the  mercy  of  designing  men,  as  has  appeared  increasingly 
since  the  strong  sway  of  the  Queen  was  withdrawn.     I  believe 
him  to  be  at  heart,  according  to  his  lights,  a  patriotic  sovereign. 
Far  from  standing  in  the  way  of  reform,  he  has  accepted  most 
of  the  suggestions  offered  to  him.     But  unfortunately  for  a  man 
whose  edicts  become  the  law  of  the  land,  and  more  unfortu- 
nately  for  the  land,  he  is  persuadable  by  the  last  person  who  gets 
Im  ear,  he  lacks  backbone  and  tenacity  of  purpose,  and  many 
of  the  best  projects  of  reform  become  abortive  through  his 
weakness  of  will.     To  substitute  constitutional  restraints  for 
absolutism  would  greatly  mend  matters,  but  r,/a  va  sans  dire 
this  could  only  be  successful  under  foreign  initiative 
The  King  was  forty-three,  the  Queen  a  little  older.     During 


256  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

his  minority  and  while  he  was  receiving  the  usual  Chi.,ese 

^educat,on.  h.s  father,  the  Tai-VVon-Kun.  who  is  descrS    by 

a  Korean  wnter  as  having  ••  bowels  of  iron  and  a  hea     of 

rin    1866    put    2,000  Korean  Catholics  slaughtered     Able 

erred'  Hr"'"'""'' ''-  '-^''-^  '^-  -^'-y^'- 

Diood  stained.  He  even  put  to  death  one  of  his  own  sons 
the  Queen  Korean  political  history  is  mainly  the  story  of  the 
Won-Kun.  I  was  presented  to  him  at  the  Palace,  and  was 
ZtlZT  \'':  ^'^"'^^"'  energy  of  his  eipr^L:: 

The  King's  expression  is  gentle.     He  has  a  wonderful  mem 
ory.  and  .s  said  to  know  Korean  history  so  well  Zt  when Tv 
question  as  to  fact  or  former  custom  arises  he  c     gl  L,  par' 
t-culars.  with  a  precise  reference  to  the  reign  in  which  anv 
historic  event  occurred  and  to  the  date.     Tife  office  oLTal 
Reader  IS  not  a  sinecure,  and  the  Royal  Library,  which  ifcon 
^.ned  ,„  one  of  the  most  beautiful  buildings  of'the  Kye  ^  pok 
Palace  .s  a  very  extensive  one  in  Chinese  literature.     He  ha. 
no    ant,-fore.gn    feeling.     His  friendliness  to  foreign"  st 

heir  aid.    At  the  time  of  my  second  visit,  when  Japan  was  in 
the  ascendant,  the  King  and  Queen  showed  special  attention 
and  kindness  to  Europeans,  and  even  invited'th    whde  for 
e  gn  community  to  a  skating  party  on  the  lake.     The  King's 
a  itude  towards  Christian  Missions  is  very  friendly,  and  to  er 

t      Kin/  "ho'-     ''''  ^""'^"^  '"^^•-'  ^"-^-ts  of  tth 
hev  wer'e  i"     ^""'  "  "'"  "  ^^''^^  ^^^^^'S"-''  -^^  whom 
In/rT  L  ?"'''"*  '^"''"*'  ^"^  ^^™'y  ^iiached  to  them 
affect  ont'/'i;'^  n"'  '"""^  -o"i  Koreans  is  one  0/ 
actions  being  laid  on  the  ministers. 


al  Chinese 
scribed  by 
a  heart  of 
years,  and 
!d.    Able, 
*ays  been 
own  sons, 
murder  of 
3ry  of  the 
the  Tai- 
,  and  was 
ipression, 
•ugh  he  is 

■ful  mem- 
vhen  any 
;  full  par- 
lich  any 
3f  Royal 
h  is  con- 
'eng-pok 
He  has 
gners  is 
ed  upon 
1  was  in 
ttention 
ole  for- 
'■  King's 
d  toler- 
of  both 
I  whom 
)  them, 
one  of 
istaken 


.-u 
u 

< 

o 
a. 

6 


OS 

< 

a: 
» 

< 
> 

O 


The  Kings  Oath— An  Au.h.nce         257 

1  l,av=  dwelt  «  l„„g  on  .l,e  King's  pe„^„.,i,,  |„  „„^  ^.  ,, 
*/,,./»  .he  Korean  Governmen,,  and  no. .  Jn-  „g„  e  |,e!d 
"  there  „  no  conwi.u.ion,  «ri.,en  or  unwri.ien   no  renr. 

hshed  Edic.      He  .,  extremely  i„du..riou,  as  a  rnler   .c 
quatntt  h,mself  wi.h  all  .he  work  of  department,,  received  and 
...end,  ,0  an  inSnity  of  report,  and  memorial.,  and  co"ern. 
hm,«lf  „,th  .1  .,,„  i.  aone  in  the  name  of  cJ.erleT  j 
..  often  «„d  ,h..  in  dee  attention  to  detail  ,  ■■  „X,ak« 
more  than  any  „n.  man  could  perform.    At  ,he  ,am   ,  1  h" 
ha,  not  the  capacity  for  getting  a  general  grip  of  .  ffai^  He 
hM  «>  much  goodne,.  of  hear,  and  «,  much  .y„.  ,athy  w"h 
progr^tve  tdea..  tha.  if  he  had  more  force  of  ch.  acte'rid 
.n  ellec.,  and  were  le»  easily  .wayed  by  unworthy  men,  he 
jn.gh.  make  a  good  sovereign,  but  hi.  weaknc  of  cL  r.c";  it 

The  .ubject.  of  conveiMtlon  introduced  at  three  of  n  y  audi- 
ence, rot  only  showed  an  intelligen.  desire  for  ,uch  iw 
on  „  m,gh,  be  Krviceable,  but  reflected  the  reform  "hTch 
•he  Japanese  were  pressing  on  the  King.  I  wa.  very  ,  w'v 
ques.,oned  as  ,0  what  I  had  seen  of  China  and  SiS  T.o 
«.e  Stbetnan  and  Japanese  railroads,  cost  of  construct^  ^ 
A,  a,  to  the  popular  feeling  in  Japan  concerning  ,h.  war    -tt 

t^til  lirfT  " '° ""  ^"="""  'oofficiaiT:;  : 

lyl,  r  ,  K*^   l^^  ''°""°"'  '»  ""^  Government,  the  posit    „ 

:«i:i"^"er''o:'tn7:^r:7T''^^"-".""^'^^'' 

the  Eng  ,sh  Crown  and  the  Cabinet,  specially  with  reeardto 

ou    ^,         '•  °"  "'"''  ""  ■''"«'»  1"«tions 'were  siTume 
ou.  and  persistent  a,  very  nearly  to  pose  me.     He  wasTi 
cm^ly  a„«„us  to  know  if  the  "Finance  Minister"  (.170^1^ 
eUor  of  the  Exchequer,  I  suppose)  exercised  any  control  ote 
.he  personal  expendi.ure  of  Her  Majesty,  and  if  the  q"  ee„" 


A 


258 


Koiea  and  Her  Neighbors 


personal  accounts  were  paid  by  herself  or  through  the  Treas- 
ury. The  affairs  under  the  control  of  each  Secretary  of  State 
were  the  subject  of  another  series  of  questions. 

Many  queries  were  about  the  duties  of  the  Home  Minister, 
the  position  of  the  Premier,  and  his  relations  with  the  other 
Mmisters  and  the  Crown.  He  was  very  anxious  to  know  if 
the  Queen  could  dismiss  her  Ministers  if  they  failed  to  carry 
out  her  wishes,  and  it  was  impossible  to  explain  to  him 
through  an  interpreter,  to  whom  the  ideas  were  unfamiliar 
the  constitutional  checks  on  the  English  Crown,  and  that  the 
sovereign  only  nominally  possesses  the  right  of  choosing  her 
Ministers. 

Just  before  I  left  Korea,  I  was  summoned  to  a  farewell  audi- 
ence, and  asked  to  take  the  Legation  interpreter  with  me     I 
went  in  an  eight  bearer  chair,  and  was  received  with  the  usual 
honors,  soldiers  presenting  arms,  etc  !    There  was  no  crowd 
of  attendants  and  no  delay.     As  I  was  being  escorted  down  a 
closed  veranda  by  several  eunuchs  and  military  officers,  a  slid- 
ing window  was  opened  by  the  King,  who  beckoned  to  me  to 
enter,  and  then  closed  it.     I  found  myself  in  the  raised  alcove 
in  which  the  Royal  Family  usually  sat,  but  the  sliding  panels 
between  it  and  the  audience-chamber  were  closed,  and  as  it  is 
not  more  than  6  feet  wide,  it  was  impossible  to  make  the  cus- 
tomary profound  curtseys.     Instead  of  the  usual  throng  of  at- 
tendants, eunuchs,  ladies-in-waiting  in  silk  gowns  a  yard  too 
long  for  them,  and  heavy  coils  and  pillows  of  artificial  hair  on 
their  heads,  and  privileged  persons  standing  behind  the  King 
and  Queen  and  crowding  the  many  doorways,   there  were 
present  only  the  Queen's  nurse  and  my  interpreter,  who  stood 
at  a  chink  between  the  panels  where  he  could  not  see  the 
Queen,  bent  into  an  attitude  of  abject  reverence,  never  lifting 
his  eyes  from  the  ground  or  raising  his  voice  above  a  whisper 
The  precautions,  however,  failed  to  secure  the  privacy  which 
the  King  and  Queen  desired.     I  was  certain  that  through  the 
chink  I  saw  the  shadow  of  a  man  in  the  audience-room,  and 


The  King's  Oath— An  Audience         259 

the  interpreter's  subsequent  remark.  -It  was  very  hard  for  me 
to  -terpret  for  His  Majesty  to-day"  was  intelHgible  wheH 
hard  that  the  -'shadow  "  belonged  to  one  of  the  Ministe  of 
State  specally  distrusted  by  the  King,  and  who  later  had  to  fly 
from  Korea.  It  was  understood  that  this  person  carried  the 
sub^ance  of  what  the  King  and  Queen  sa.^  to  .^^t 

I  cannot  here  allude  to  the  matter  on  which  the  King  spoke 
but  the  audience,  which  lasted  for  an  hour,  was  an  extreme!; 
nneres  ,ng  one.  On  one  point  the  King  expressed  hm'ef 
very  strongly,  as  he  has  done  to  many  others      He  consTe  s 

Courf  to  a  Res.dent  Minister  accredited  solely  to  the  korean 

Lh      -^    u  '''^'■''f  "^  ^''^'  ''^^'^  ^"^  '''''^  for  Mr.  Hillier 
and  sa.d  that  nothing  would  be  more  acceptable  to  him  tlTan 
his  appointment  as  the  first  Minister  to  Korea 
The  Queen  spoke  of  Queen  Victoria,  and  said.  "She  ha. 
■    HeTlr  "T  '•"  r  ^'^^-^-^-ss,  wealth.  Ind  powe 
flu  ^''"^'°"'  '''  ^'"^'  ^"d  ^"^Perors,  and  he 

Ko^  ?    She  does  so  l^ch  good  in  the  world,  heThfeTTa 

Ktg  adTed  ^;:L'r  7- '''  ^"'.  ''^'''''^  "  ''  ^°  ^^^  ^^e 
J^ing  added,    'England^ ,s  our  best  friend."     It  was  reallv 

touching  to  heaTlhT^ccupants-f  th^Tancient  but  shaky  1 
throne  speaking  in  this  fashion.  ^  ' 

On  this  occasion  the  Queen  was  dressed  in  a  bodice  of 
brocaded  amber  satin,  a  mazarine  blue  brocaded  trahied  skirt 
a  crimson  girdle  with  five  clasps  and  tassels  of  cora    and  a 
coral  clasp  at  the  throat.     Her  head  was  uncovered,  and  he 
abundant  black  hair  gathered  into  a  knot  at  the  ba  k      She 

thrhLTTTe^K^'^^^  r'  ^"'  ^°^^^  ^"-^^  -  ^^''top  o 

the  head.     The  King  and  Queen  rose  when  I  took  leave  and 
he  Queen  shook  hands.     They  both  spoke  most  kind  y!  and 
oppressed  the  wish  that  I  should  return  and  see  more  of  Korea 
When  I  did  return  nine  months  later,  the  Queen  had  been 


if  ■■ 


26o 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


^- err 'r '«^-'- ""■«-^^-u:.oira' s 
the  izr,hr  z/"" "°  r'"^'"''  "<"■'"■<»-=•  0" 

coune.,,  S-  pt;He7:hi:hTa:  'S  f  ^"'■''  "'"f  »«• 
pression  on  me  and  n,rf„         ?  '"J"  =8r«able  in.. 

«rea.fea.u.e:rX"t::':s.:t;e: " '""'' ""'  "■= 


KOREAN  GENTLEMAN  IN  COURT 


DRESS. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A  TRANSITION  STAGE 

t^  it?  Dla«     xf '     ™  '■''"«'"«'  '""  «>=  »«  had  not 
taken  Its  place.     The  Japanese,  victorious  by  land  and  sea 

war  tliey  had  asked  China  to  cooperate.  The  King  since 
tl«  capture  of  .he  Palace  by  the  Japanese  in  July  8 'had 
become  l,t,  e  „ore  than  a  "salaried  automaton'"  a'n'd  the 
once  powerful  n,embers  of  ,he  Min  clan  had  bein  ex^lM 

XsibUiw.h''''^  J^'""^^  ""'  "---O  ""  " 
responsibility  of  the  supervision  of  all  departments    and  t„ 

enforce  honesty  on  a  corrupt   executive.   V^"  „v  ° 
he  Chinese  at  Phyong-yang  on  r„h  September,  .jrhad  I 
them  fee  to  carry  out  their  purposes.    Count  Inouye   on. 
of  the  foremost  of  the  statesmen  who  created  the  ne/jinan 
arrived  as  "Residpnf^"  r.,^  r^  4.  u  "cw  japan, 

administered  ,r,r  ^ ""^^  "'  '^^4.  and  practically 

aaministered  the  Government  in  the  King's  name     Theii 

rdrilK  T°""°""V"  ^"  '"'  "'P^'-nesHheX 
was  drilled  by  Japanese  drill  instructors,  a  police  force  wii 

Sd.  ofto^'""''  '"  "»'''  '"''"'  /apai^se  :„^ms:: 
Council  of  Koreans  was  appointed  to  draft  a  scheme  of  re- 

form  and  form  the  nucleus  of  a  possible  Korean  PaThamenr 

and  Count  Inonye  as  Japanese  adviser  had  the  rigl    of  con! 

?a  ^neS  ^  e  e  ;  ^ '  a^palfl^t;'^''  ""'"'  ''' 
reeulafinnQ  oK  r»-  "^"^  ,  ^PP^'^^"*  in  new  appointments, 
regulations,  abolitions,  and  reforms.  The  Japanese  claimed 
that  their  purpose  was  to  reform  the  administration  of  Korea 

261 


262 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


as  we  had  done  that  of  Egypt,  and  I  believe  they  wo'uld  have 
done  U  had  they  been  allowed  a  free  hand.     It  was  apparent 

far  harder  one  than  he  expected,  and  that  the  difficulties  in 
his  way  were  nearly  insurmountable.  He  said  hi Jsel  th  t 
here  were  -^  no  tools  to  work  with,"  and  in  the  hope  of  Lnu 
factunng  them  a  large  number  of  youths  of  the  uppe^cTass 
were  sent  for  two  years  to  Japan,  one  year  to  be  'pen  in 
education  a..d  another  in  learning  accunncy  and  "  he  firlt 
prmcples  of  honor  "  in  certain  Government'departmenTs. 

the  K,W  I'^rr  "^T"^''  '''°"^'^  "^"^^^^^  ''  the  time  by 
the  K.ng  had  been  allowed  to  drop,  and  it  was  not  till  De- 

th.?r      fV'^'  '''""^  I-»ye  obtained  a  formal  covenant 
that  five  of  them  should  be  at  once  carried  out.     (i)  A  full 

wlZ  '!!  'I'  r^P'"^°"  ''  ^««4;  (.)  That  he  Tai- 
attairs,  (3)  That  no  relatives  of  the  Royal  Family  should  be 
employed  m  any  official  capacity;  (4)  That  the  number  of 
eunuchs  and  -  Palace  ladies  "  should  at  once  be  reduced  to  a 

"'Zr^n  ?^  "^'1  "^'^  clistinctions-patrician  and  plebeian 
— siiould  no  longer  be  recognized. 

Tu     '  ^f.  j"^'  ""^'^''■^  °f  *'^^  ^"""^hs  packed  up  their 

Palace  adies  ' ;  but  the  King  in  his  vast  dwelling  was  so 
lonely  wuhout  them  that  the  next  morning  he  sent  an  order 
commanding  their  immediate  return  under  serious  penalties, 
and  It  was  obeyed  at  once  ! 

The  attitude  of  the  Korean  official  class,  with  the  exception 
of  a  small  number  who  were  personally  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  Japan,  was  altogether  unfavorable  to  the  new  regime, 
and  every  change  was  regarded  with  indignation.  Though 
destitute  of  true  patriotism,  the  common  people  looked  upon 

d  1^'"^"'  !  Tf  P'''^"'  ""^  '^''y  ^^'•^  ^""'0"^  at  the  in- 
dignities to  which  he  had  been  subjected.     The  official  class 


A  Transition  Stage 


263 


saw  that  reform  meant  the  end  of  "  squeezing"  and  ill-eotten 
ga.ns,  and  they,  with  the  whole  army  of  parasites  and  hang 

unerest  to  oppose  it  by  active  opposition  or  passive  resistance, 
i  hough  corruption  has  its  stronghold  in  Seoul,  every  provincial 
government  repeats  on  a  smaller  scale  the  iniquities  of  the 
capital,  and  has  its  own  army  of  dishonest  and  lazy  officials 
fattening  on  the  earnings  of  the  industrious  classes 

The  cleansing  of  the  Augean  stable  of  the  Korean  official 
system  which  the  Japanese  had  undertaken,  was  indeed  an 
Herculean  labor.  Traditions  of  honor  and  honesty,  if  they 
ever  existed,  had  been  forgotten  for  centuries.  Standards  of 
official  rectitude  were  unknown.  In  Korea  when  the  Japanese 
undertook  the  work  of  reform  there  were  but  two  cla  se'sthe 
robbers  and  the  robbed,  and  the  robbers  included  the  vast 
army  which  constituted  officialdom.  -  Squeezing  "  and  pecu- 
lation  were  the  rule  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  and  every 
position  was  bought  and  sold.  ^ 

I  ,!;?;  ''•""^"'°"  '"'S^'  d°-"  to  12th  February,  X895,  when 
I  left  Korea  was  a  remarkable  one.  The  Oj^dJcaz.f,, 
curiously  reflected  that  singular  period.  Onelay  a  decree 
abolished  the  3  feet  long  tobacco  pipes  which  were  the  delighl 
of  the  Koreans  of  the  capital ;  another,  there  was  an  enlight- 
ened statute  ordering  the  planting  of  pines  to  remedy  the  den- 
udation of  the  hills  around  Seoul,  the  same  ^...Jdirect'g 
that  duly  appointed  geomancers  should  find  "an  auspicious 
day  on  wlHch  the  King  might  worship  at  the  ancZl T 

It        ul  tl  ''°"'  ""^  brutalizing  punishments  were 

wisely  abohshed  ;  another,  there  appeared  a  string  of  vexatioi  s 
and  petty  regulations  calculated  to  harass  the  Chinese  oul  of 
the  k.ngdom.  and  appointing  as  a  punishment  for  the  breach 
of  them  a  fine  of  100  dollars  or  100  blows  I 

Failure  in  tact  was  one  great  fault  of  the  Japanese  The 
seizure  of  the  Palace  and  the  King's  person  in  July,  .S,,,  el„ 
If  a  dubious  political  necessity,  did  not  excuse  the  indignities 


<ni 


264 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


to  which  the  sovereign  was  exposed.  The  forcing  of  former 
conspirators  into  high  office  was  a  grave  error,  and  tactless 
proceedings,  such  as  the  abolition  of  long  pipes,  alterations  in 
Court  and  other  dress,  many  interferences  with  social  customs, 
and  petty  and  harassing  restrictions  and  regulations,  embit- 
tered the  people  against  the  new  rigime. 

The  Tong-haks,  who  had  respectfully  thrown  off  allegiance 
to  the  King  on  the  ground  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  for- 
eigners, and  had  appointed  another  sovereign,  had  been  van- 
quished early  in  January,  and  their  king's  head  had  been  sent 
to  Seoul  by  a  loyal  governor.  There  I  saw  it  in  the  busiest 
part  of  the  Peking  Road,  a  bustling  market  outside  the  "  little 
West  Gate,"  hanging  from  a  rude  arrangement  of  three  sticks 
like  a  camp-kettle  stand,  with  another  head  below  it.  Both 
faces  wore  a  calm,  almost  dignified,  expression.  Not  far  off 
two  rnore  heads  had  been  exposed  in  a  similar  frame,  but  it 
had  given  way,  and  they  lay  in  the  dust  of  the  roadway,  much 
gnawed  by  dogs  at  the  back.  The  last  agony  was  stiffened  on 
their  features.  A  turnip  lay  beside  them,  and  some  small  chil- 
dren cut  pieces  from  it  and  presented  them  mockingly  to  the 
blackened  mouths.  This  brutalizing  spectacle  had  existed  for 
a  week. 

Three  days  later,  in  the  stillness  of  the  Korean  New  Year's 
Day,  I  rode  with  a  friend  along  a  lonely  road  passing  through 
a  fair  agricultural  valley  among  pine-clothed  knolls  outside  the 
South  and  East  Gates  of  Seoul.  Snow  lay  on  the  ground  and 
the  grim  sky  threatened  a  further  storm.  It  was  cold,  and  we 
observed  with  surprise  three  coolies  in  summer  cotton  clothing 
lying  by  the  roadside  asleep;  but  it  was  the  last  sleep,  for  on 
approaching  them  we  found  that,  though  their  attitudes  were 
those  of  easy  repose,  the  bodies  were  without  heads,  nor  had 
the  headsman's  axe  been  merciful  or  sharp.  In  the  middle  of 
the  road  were  great,  frozen,  crimson  splashes  where  the  Tong- 
hak  leaders  had  expiated  their  treason,  criminals  in  Korea,  as 
in  old  Jerusalem,  suffering  "  without  the  gate." 


t 


■*, 


A  Transition  Stage 


265 


•k 


i 


A  few  days  later  an  order  appeared  in  the  Gazette  abolish- 
ing beheading  and  "slicing  to  death,"  and  substituting  death 
by  strangulation  for  civil,  and  by  shooting  for  military  capital 
crimes.  This  order  practically  made  an  end  of  the  prerogative 
of  life  and  death  heretofore  possessed  by  the  Korean  sovereigns. 
So  the  "  old  order  "  was  daily  changing  under  the  pressure 
of  the  Japanese  advisers,  and  on  the  whole  changing  most  de- 
cidedly for  the  better,  though,  owing  to  the  number  of  reforrr.i 
decreed  and  in  contemplation,  everything  was  in  a  tentative 
and  chaotic  state.  Korea  was  "  swithering  "  between  China 
and  Japan,  afraid  to  go  in  heartily  for  the  reforms  initiated  by 
Japan  lest  China  should  regain  position  and  be  "down"  upon 
her,  and  afraid  to  oppose  them  actively  lest  Japan  should  be 
permanently  successful. 

On  that  same  New  Year's  Day  there  was  more  to  be  seen 
than  headless  trunks.  Through  the  length  of  Seoul,  towards 
twilight,  an  odor  of  burning  hair  overpowered  the  aromatic 
scent  of  the  pine  brush,  and  all  down  every  street,  outside 
every  door,  there  were  red  glimmers  of  light.  It  is  the  custom 
in  every  family  on  that  day  to  carry  out  the  carefully  preserved 
clippings  and  combings  of  the  family  hair  and  burn  them  in 
potsherds,  a  practice  which  it  is  hoped  will  prevent  the  entrance 
of  certain  dsimons  into  the  house  during  the  year.  Rude  straw 
dolls  stuffed  with  a  few  cash  were  also  thrown  into  the  street. 
This  effigy  is  believed  to  take  away  troubles  and  foist  them  on 
whoever  picks  it  up.  To  prevent  such  a  vicarious  calamity, 
more  than  one  mother  on  that  evening  pounced  upon  a  child 
who  childlike  had  picked  up  the  doll  and  threw  it  far  from 
him. 

On  that  night  round  pieces  of  red  or  white  paper  placed  in 
cleft  sticks  are  put  upon  the  roofs  of  houses,  and  those  persons 
who  have  been  warned  by  the  sorcerers  of  troubles  to  come, 
pray  (?)  to  the  moon  to  remove  them. 

A  common  Korean  custom  on  the  same  day  is  for  people  to 
paint  images  on  paper,  and  to  write  against  them  their  troubles 


I 


'1 


266 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


of  body  or  mind,  afterwards  giving  the  paper  to  a  boy  who  ] 
burns  it.  • 

A  more  singular  New  Year  custom  in  Seoul  is  "  Walking  the  \ 
Bridges."     Up  to  midnight,  men,  women,  and  children  cross  S 
a  bridge  or  bridges  as  many  times  as  they  are  years  old.    This  J 
is  believed  to  prevent  pains  in  the  feet  and  I  gs  during  the  year. 
This  day,  the  "Great  Fifteenth  Day,"  concludes  the  kite- 
flying and  stone  fights  which  enliven  Seoul  for  the  previous 
fortnight,  and  every  Korean  insists  on  keeping  it  as  a  holiday. 
Graves  are  formally  visited,  and  gathered  families  spread  food 
before  the  ancestral  tablets.     Curious  custom;^  prevail  at  this 
time.     A  few  days  before,  the  Palace  eunuchs  chant  invoca- 
tions, swinging  burning  torches  as  they  do  so.     This  is  sup- 
posed to  ensure  bountiful  crops  for  the  next  season.     People 
buy  quantities  of  nuts,  which  they  crack,  hold  the  kernels  in 
the  mouth,  and  then  throw  them  away.     This  is  to  prevent 
summer  sores  and  boils.    Also  on  the  Great  Fifteenth  Day  men 
try  to  find  out  the  probable  rainfall  for  each  month  by  split- 
ting a  small  piece  of  bamboo,  and  laying  twelve  beans  side  by 
side  in  one  of  the  halves,  after  which  it  is  closed,  and  after 
being  bound  tightly  with  cord,  is  lowered  into  a  well  for  the 
night.    Each  bean  represents  a  month.    In  the  morning,  when 
they  are  examined  in  rotation,  they  are  variously  enlarged,  and 
the  enlargement  indicates  the  proportion  of  rain  in  that  special 
moon.     If,  on  the  contrary,  one  or  more  are  wizened,  it  causes 
great  alarm,  as  indicating  complete  or  partial  drought  in  one 
or  more  months.     Dogs  do  not  get  their  usual  meal  on  the 
morning  of  the  "Great  Fifteenth,"  in  the  belief  that  the  dep- 
rivation will  keep  them  from  being  pestered  with  flies  during 
the  long  summer. 

If  a  boy  has  been  born  during  the  year,  poles  bearing  paper 
fish  by  day  and  lanterns  by  night  project  from  the  house  of  the 
parents.  The  people  at  night  watch  the  burning  of  candles. 
If  they  are  entirely  burned,  the  life  of  the  child  will  be  long; 
if  only  partially  burned,  it  will  be  proportionately  shorter. 


A  Transition  Stage 


267 


I 


I  left  Seoul  very  regretfully  on  5  th  February.  Tlie  Japanese 
had  introduced  j'i/in'^s/ias,  but  the  runners  were  unskilled,  and 
I  met  with  so  severe  an  accident  in  going  down  to  Chemulpo 
that  I  did  not  recover  for  a  year.  The  line  of  steamers  to 
Japan  was  totally  disorganized  by  the  war,  and  in  the  week 
that  I  waited  for  the  I/i^o  Maru  war  was  uppermost  in  peo- 
ple's thoughts.  There  were  some  who  even  then  could  not 
bring  themselves  to  believe  in  the  eventual  success  of  the  Japa- 
nese. The  fall  of  VVei-hai-wei  and  the  capture  of  the  Chinese 
fleet  opened  many  eyes.  I  was  in  the  office  of  the  "  N.Y.K." 
when  the  news  caine,  and  the  clerks  were  too  wild  with  excite- 
ment to  attend  to  me,  apologizing  by  saying,  "  It's  another 
victory  !  "  Ciiemulpo  was  decorated,  illuminated,  and  pro- 
cessioned for  victories,  Li  Hung  Chang  was  burned  in  effigy, 
and  unlimited  sake  for  all  comers  was  supplied  from  tubs  at 
the  street  corners. 

There  were  indications  of  the  cost  of  victory,  however. 
The  great  military  hospitals  were  full,  the  cemetery  was  filling 
fast,  military  funerals  with  military  pomp  and  Shinto  priests 
passed  down  the  bannered  street,  and  600  transport  coolies 
tramping  from  Manchuria  arrived  in  rags  and  tatters,  some 
clothed  in  raw  hides  and  raw  skins  of  sheep,  their  feet,  hands, 
and  lips  frost-bitten,  and  with  blackened  stumps  of  fingers  and 
toes  protruding  from  filthy  bandages.  The  Japanese  schools 
teach  that  Japan  has  a  right  to  demand  all  that  a  man  has,  and 
that  life  itself  is  not  too  costly  a  sacrifice  for  him  to  lay  on  the 
altar  of  his  country.  Undoubtedly  the  teaching  bears  fruit. 
Not  long  before  at  Osaka  I  saw  the  wharves  piled  high  with 
voluntary  contributions  for  the  troops,  and  the  Third  Army 
leave  the  city  amidst  an  outburst  of  popular  enthusiasm  such 
as  I  never  saw  equalled.  Most  of  these  coolies,  when  they  re- 
ceived new  clothing,  volunteered  for  further  service,  and  dying 
soldiers  on  battlefields  and  in  hospitals  uttered  ^*  Dai  Nippon 
Banzai!'^  (Great  Japan  forever!)  with  their  last  faltering 
breath. 


i 


»i 


268 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


When  I  left  Korea  the  condition  of  things  may  be  sum- 
marized thus.  Japan  was  thoroughly  in  earnest  as  to  reform- 
ing the  Korean  administration  through  Koreans,  and  very 
many  reforms  were  decreed  or  in  contemplation,  while  some 
evils  and  abuses  were  already  swept  away.  The  King,  de- 
prived of  his  absolute  sovereignty,  was  practically  a  salaried 
registrar  of  decrees.  Count  Inouye  occupied  the  position  of 
"Resident,"  and  the  Government  was  administeied  in  the 
King's  name  by  a  Cabinet  consisting  of  the  heads  cf  ten  de- 
partments, in  some  measure  the  nominees  of  the  "Resident." ' 

« I  repeat  this  statement  in  this  form  for  the  benefit  of  the  reader,  and 
ask  him  to  compare  it  with  a  summary  of  Korean  affairs  early  in  1897, 
given  in  the  36th  chapter  of  this  volume. 


li: 


\v. 


lil 


PLACE  OF  THE  QUEEN'S  CREMATION. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


THE  ASSASSINATION   OF   THE   QUEEN 

IN  May,  1895,  a  treaty  of  peace  between  China  and  Japan 
was  signed  at  Shimonoseki,  a  heavy  indemnity,  the  island 
of  Formosa,  and  a  great  accession  of  prestige,  being  the  gains 
of  Japan.  From  thenceforward  no  power  having  interests  in 
the  Far  East  could  afford  to  regard  her  as  a  quantiti  negligi- 
able. 

After  travelling  for  some  months  in  South  and  Mid  China, 
and  spending  the  summer  in  Japan,  I  arrived  in  Nagasaki  in 
October,  1895,  to  hear  a  lumor  of  the  assassination  of  the 
Korean  Queen,  afterwards  confirmed  on  board  the  Suruga 
Maru  by  Mr.  Sill,  the  American  Minister,  who  was  hurrying 
ba;ck  to  his  post  in  Seoul  in  consequence  of  the  disturbed  state 
of  affairs.  I  went  up  immediately  from  Chemulpo  to  the 
capital,  where  I  was  Mr,  Hillier's  guest  at  the  English  Lega- 
tion for  two  exciting  months. 

The  native  and  foreign  communities  were  naturally  much 
excited  by  the  tragedy  at  the  Palace,  and  the  treatment  which 
the  King  was  receiving.  Count  Inouye,  whose  presence  in 
Seoul  always  produced  confidence,  had  left  a  month  before, 
and  had  been  succeeded  by  General  Viscount  Miura,  a  capable 
soldier,  without  diplomatic  experience. 

In  an  interview  which  Count  Inouye  had  with  the  Queen 
shortly  before  his  departure,  speaking  of  the  ascendency  of 
the  Tai-Won-Kun,  after  the  capture  of  the  Palace  by  Mr. 
Otori  in  the  previous  July,  Her  Majesty  said,  "  It  is  a  matter 
of  regret  to  me  that  the  overtures  made  by  me  towards  Japan 
were  rejected.     The  Tai-Won-Kun,  on  the  other  hand,  who 

269 


270 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


showed  his  unfrieiKllincss  towards  Japan,  was  assisted  by  tlje 
Japanese  Minister  to  rise  in  power." 

In  the  despatch  in  wliich  Count  Inouye  reported  this  Inter- 
view to  his  Government  he  wrote  : 

I  gave  as  far  as  I  could  an  explanation  of  these  things  to  the  Queen, 
and  after  so  allaying  her  susjncions,  1  further  explained  that  it  was  the 
true  and  sincere  desire  of  the  Emperor  and  Government  of  Japan  to  place 
the  indci)endence  of  Korea  on  a  firm  basis,  and  in  the  meantime  to 
strengthen  the  Royal  House  of  Korea.  //;  the  event  of  any  member  of 
the  Royal  /'amity,  or  indeed  any  Korean,  therefore  attempting;  treason 
ai^ainst  the  Royal  House,  I  gave  the  assurance  that  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment would  not  fail  to  protect  the  Royal  House  even  by  force  of  arms, 
and  so  secure  the  safety  of  the  l-ingdom.  These  remarks  of  mine  seemed 
to  have  moved  the  King  and  Queen,  and  their  anxiety  for  the  future  ap- 
peared to  be  much  relieved. 

The  Korean  sovereigns  would  naturally  think  themselves 
justified  in  relying  on  the  promise  so  frankly  given  by  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  of  Japanese  statesmen,  whom  they  had 
learned  to  regard  with  confidence  and  respect,  and  it  is  clear 
to  myself  that  when  the  fateful  night  came,  a  month  later, 
their  reliance  on  this  assurance  led  them  to  omit  certain  possi- 
ble  precautions,  and  caused  the  Queen  to  neglect  to  make  her 
escape  at  the  first  hint  of  danger. 

When  the  well-known  arrangement  between  Viscount  Miura 
and  the  Tai-Won-Kun  was  ripe  for  execution,  the  Japanese 
Minister  directed  the  Commandant  of  the  Japanese  battalion 
quartered  in  the  barracks  just  outside  the  Palace  gate  to  facili- 
tate the  Tai-Won-Ktin's  entry  into  the  Palace  by  arranging 
the  disposition  of  the  i^««-r^«-A7/ (Korean  troops  drilled  by 
Japanese),  and  by  calling  out  the  Imperial  force  to  support 
them,  Miura  also  called  upon  two  Japanese  to  collect  their 
friends,  go  to  Riong  San  on  the  Han,  where  the  intriguing 
Prince  was  then  living,  and  act  as  his  bodyguard  on  his  jour- 
ney to  the  Palace.  The  Minister  told  them  that  on  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise  depended  the  eradication  of  the  evils 


The  Assassination  of  the  Queen  271 

which  had  afilicted  the  kingdom  for  twenty  years,  and  insti- 
gated THKM  TO   UlSI'ATCH   THE  QUEEN   WHEN   THEY  ENTERED 

THE  Palace.  One  of  Miura's  agents  then  ordered  tlie  Japa- 
nese policemen  who  were  off  duty  to  put  on  civilian  dress, 
provide  themselves  with  swords,  and  accompany  the  couspira- 
tors  to  the  Tai-Won-Kun's  house. 

At  3  A.M.  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  October  they  left 
Rioiig  San,  escorting  the  Prince's  palanquin,  Mr.  Okamoto,  to 
whom  much  had  been  entrusted,  assembling  the  whole  party 
when  on  the  point  of  departure,  and  declaring  to  them  that 
on  entering  the  Palace  the  "  Fox  "  should  be  dealt  with  ac- 
cording "  as  exigency  might  require."  Then  this  procession, 
including  ten  Japanese  who  had  dressed  themselves  in  uni- 
forms taken  from  ten  captured  Korean  police,  started  for 
Seoul,  more  than  three  miles  distant.  Outside  the  "  Gate  of 
Staunch  Loyalty  "  they  were  met  by  the  Kun-ren-tai,  and 
then  waited  for  the  arrival  of  the  Japanese  troops,  after  which 
they  proceeded  at  a  rapid  pace  to  the  Palace,  entering  it  by 
the  front  gate,  and  after  killing  some  of  the  Palace  Guard 
proceeded  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  buildings  occupied  by  the 
King  and  Queen,  which  have  a  narrow  courtyard  in  front. 

So  far  I  have  followed  the  Hiroshima  judgment  in  its  state- 
ment of  the  facts  of  that  morning,  but  when  it  has  conducted 
the  combined  force  to  "  the  inner  chambers"  it  concludes 
abruptly  with  a  "  not  proven  "  in  the  case  of  all  the  accused  ! 
For  the  rest  of  the  story,  so  far  as  it  may  interest  my  readers, 
I  follow  the  statements  of  General  Dye  and  Mr.  Sabatin  of  the 
King's  Guard,  and  of  certain  official  documents. 

It  is  necessary  here  to  go  back  upon  various  events  which 
preceded  the  murder  of  Her  Majesty.  Trouble  arose  in  Oc- 
tober between  the  Kun-ren-tai  d^m\  the  Seoul  police,  resulting 
in  the  total  defeat  of  the  latter.  The  Kun-ren-tai,  numbering 
1,000,  were  commanded  by  Colonel  Hong,  who  in  1882  had 
rescued  the  Queen  from  imminent  danger,  and  was  trusted  by 
the  Royal  Family.    The  Palace  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Old 


I'i 


il 


272 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


. 


Guard  under  Colonel  Hyon,  who  had  saved  Her  Majesty's  life 
in  1884.  In  the  first  week  of  October  the  strength  of  this 
Guard  was  greatly  reduced,  useful  weapons  were  quietly  with- 
drawn, and  the  ammunition  was  removed. 

On  the  night  of  the  7th  the  Kun-ren-tai,  with  their  Japa- 
nese instructors,  marched  and  countermarched  till  they  were 
found  on  all  sides  of  the  Palace,  causing  some  uneasiness 
withm.     The  alarm  was  given  to  General  Dye  and  Mr.  Saba- 
tin  early  on  the  morning  of  the  Sth.'    These  officers,  looking 
through  a  chink  of  the  gate,  saw  a  number  of  Japanese  sol- 
diers with  fixed  bayonets  standing  there,  who,  on  being  asked 
what  they  were  doing,  filed  right  and  left  out  of  the  moonlight 
under  the  shadow  of  the  wall.     Skulking  under  another  part 
of  the  wall  were  over  200  of  the  Kun-ren-tai.    The  two  for- 
eigners were  consulting  as  to  the  steps  to  be  taken  when  heavy 
sounds  of  battering  came  from  the  grand  entrance  gate,  fol- 
lowed by  firing. 

General  Dye  attempted  to  rally  the  Guard,  but  after  five  or 
SIX  volleys  from  the  assailants  they  broke  with  such  a  rush  as 
to  sweep  the  two  foreigners  past  the  King's  house  to  the  gate- 
way of  the  Queen's.     No  clear  account  has  ever  been  given  of 
the  events  which  followed.     Colonel  Hong,  the  commander  of 
the  Kun-ren-tai,  was  cut  down  by  a  Japanese  officer  at  the 
great  gate,  and  was  afterwards  mortally  wounded  by  eight  bul- 
lets.     The  Kun-ren-tai  swarmed   into  the  Palace  from  all 
directions,  along  with  Japanese  civilians  armed  with  swords, 
who  frantically   demanded  the  whereabouts  of  the  Queen, 
hauling  the  Palace  ladies  about  by  the  hair  to  compel  them  to 
point  out  Her  Majesty,  rushing  in  and  out  of  windows,  throw- 
ing the  ladies-in-waiting  from  the  7  feet  high  veranda  into 
the  compound,  cutting  and  kicking  them,  and  brutally  mur- 
dering four  in  the  hope  that  they  nad  thus  secured  their  victim. 
■General  Dye,  late  of  the  U.  S.  army,  was  instructor  of  the  Old  Guard. 
Mr.  Sabatin  a  Russian  subject,  was  temporarily  employed  as  a  watchman 
to  see  that  the  sentries  were  at  their  posts. 


ri 


The  Assassination  of  the  Queen         27-5 

Japanese  troops  also  entered  the  Palace,  and  formed  in  mili- 
tary order  under  the  command  of  their  officers  round  the  small 
courtyard  of  the  King's  house  and  at  its  gate,  protecting  the 
assassins  in  their  murderous  work.     Before  this  force  of  Japa- 
nese regulars  arrived  there  was  a  flying  rout  of  servants,  run- 
ners, and  Palace  Guards  rushing  from  every  point  of  the  vast 
enclosure  in  mad  haste  to  get  out  of  the  gates.     As  the  Japa- 
nese entered  the  building,  the  unfortunate  King,  hoping  to 
divert  their  attention  and  give  the  Queen  time  to  escape,  came 
into  a  front  room  where  he  could  be  distinctly  seen.     Some  of 
the  Japanese  assassins  rushed  in   brandishing  their  swords,  ' 
pulled  His  Majesty  about,  and  beat  and  dragged  about  some 
of  the  Palace  ladies  by  the  hair  in  his  presence.     The  Crown 
Prince,  who  was  in  an  inner  room,  was  seized,  his  hat  torn  off 
and  broken,  and  he  was  pulled  about  by  the  hair  and  threat- 
ened with  swords  to  make  him  show  the  way  to  the  Queen, 
but  he  managed  to  reach  the  King,  and  they  have  never  been 
separated  since. 

The  whole  afiFair  did  not  occupy  much  more  than  an  hour. 
The  Crown  Prince  saw  his  mother  rush  down  a  passage  fol- 
lowed by  a  Japanese  with  a  sword,  and  there  was  a  general 
rush  of  assassins  for  her  sleeping  apartments.     In  the  upper 
story  the  Crown  Princess  was  found  with  several  ladies,  and 
she  was  dragged  by  the  hair,  cut  with  a  sword,  beaten,  and 
thrown    downstairs.     Yi  Kyong-jik,  Minister  of  the  Royal 
Household,  seems  to  have  given  the  alarm,  for  the  Queen  was 
dressed  and  was  preparing  to  run  and  hide  herself.     When  the 
murderers  rushed  in,  he  stood  with  outstretched  arms  in  front 
of  Her  Majesty,  trying  to  protect  her,  furnishing  them  with  the 
clue  they  wanted.     They  slashed  off  both  his  hands  and  in- 
flicted other  wounds,  but  he  contrived  to  drag  himself  along 
the  veranda  into  the  King's  presence,  where  he  bled  to  death. 

_The  Queen,  flying  from  the  assassins,  was  overtaken  and 
stabbed.  fallinfT  down  as  if  dead,  but  nn^  acrnnnt  say.:  th.f, 
recovering  a  little,  she  asked  if  the  Crown  Prinre,  her  iHnl 


274 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


was  safe,  on  which  a  Japanese  jumped  on  her  breasi 
stabbed  her  through  and  through  with  his  sword.  Even  then, 
though  the  nurse  whom  I  formerly  saw^i  attendance  onher 
covered  jer  face,  it  is  not  certain  that  she_was  dead,  b"utth.e 
Japanese  laid  her  on  a  plank,  wrapped  a  silk  quilt  round  hgr, 
and  she  was  carried,_to_a.gr<>v^  of  pines  in  thp  adjarffnt  deer 
park,  where  kerosene  oil  was  poured  pypr  thp  hndy^  which  was. 
surrounded  by  faggots  and  burned,  only  a  few^malL-bones 
escaping  destructioiix 

Thus  perished,  at  the  age  of  forty-four,  by  the  hands  of  for- 
eign assassins,  instigated  to  their  bloody  work  by  the  Minister 
of  a  friendly  power,  the  clever,  ambitious,  intriguing,  fascinat- 
ing, and  in  many  respects  lovable  Queen  of  Korea.  In  her 
lifetime  Count  Inouye,  whose  verdict  for  many  reasons  may  be 
accepted,  said,  "  Her  Majesty  has  few  equals  among  her 
countrymen  for  shrewdness  and  sagacity.  In  the  art  of  con- 
ciliating her  enemies  and  winning  the  confidence  of  her 
servants  she  has  no  equals." 

A  short  time  after  daylight  the  Tai-Won-Kun  issued 
two  proclamations,  of  which  the  following  sentences  are 
specimens : — 

1st,  "  The  hearts  of  the  people  dissolve  through  the  presence  in  the 
Palace  of  a  crowd  of  base  fellows.  So  the  National  Grand  Duke  is  re- 
turned to  pow-jr  to  inaugurate  changes,  expel  the  base  fellows,  restore 
former  laws,  and  vindicate  the  dignity  of  His  Majesty." 

2nd,  "  I  have  now  entered  the  Palace  to  aid  His  Majesty,  expel  the 
low  fellows,  perfect  that  which  will  be  a  benefit,  save  the  country,  and  in- 
troduce peace." 

The  Palace  gates  were  guarded  by  the  mutinous  Kunren-tai 
with  fixed  bayonets,  who  allowed  a  constant  stream  of  Koreans 
to  pass  out,  the  remnants  of  the  Old  Palace  Guard,  who  had 
thrown  off  their  uniforms  and  hidden  their  arms,  each  man 
being  seized  and  searched  before  his  exit  was  permitted.  Near 
the  gate  was  a  crimson  pool  marking  the  spot  where  Colonel 
Hong  fell.     Three  of  the  Ministers  were  at  once  dismissed 


II 


The  Assassination  of  the  Queen  275 

from  their  posts,  some  escaped,  and  many  of  the  high  officials 
sought  safety  in  flight.  Nearly  every  one  who  was  trusted  by 
the  King  was  removed,  and  several  of  the  chief  offices  of  State 
were  filled  by  the  nominees  of  the  officers  of  the  Kun-ren-tai, 
who,  later,  when  they  did  not  find  the  Cabinet,  which  was 
chiefly  of  their  own  creation,  sufficiently  subservient,  used  to 
threaten  it  with  drawn  swords. 

Viscount  Miura  arrived  at  the  Palace  at  daylight,  with  Mr. 
Sugimura,  Secretary  of  the  Japanese  Legation  (who  had 
arranged  the  details  of  the  plot),  and  a  certain  Japanese  who 
had  been  seen  by  the  King  apparently  leading  the  assassins, 
and  actively  participating  in  the  bloody  work,  and  had  an 
audience  of  His  Majesty,  who  was  profoundly  agitated.  He 
signed  three  documents  at  their  bidding,  after  which  the 
Japanese  troops  were  withdrawn  from  the  Palace,  and  the 
armed  forces,  and  even  the  King's  personal  attendants,  were 
placed  under  the  orders  of  those  who  had  been  concerned  in 
attack.     The  Tai-Won-Kun  was  present  at  this  audience. 

During  the  day  all  the  Foreign  Representatives  had  audi- 
ences of  the  King,  who  was  much  agitated,  sobbed  at  intervals, 
and,  believing  the  Queen  to  have  escaped,  was  very  solicitous 
about  his  own  safety,  as  he  was  environed  by  assassins,  the 
most  unscrupulous  of  all  being  his  own  father.  In  violation 
of  custom,  he  grasped  the  hands  of  the  Representatives,  and 
asked  them  to  use  their  friendly  offices  to  prevent  further  out- 
rage and  violence.  He  was  anxious  that  the  Kun-ren-tai 
should  be  replaced  by  Japanese  troops.  On  the  same  after- 
noon the  Foreign  Representatives  met  at  the  Japanese  Lr>- 
gation  to  hear  Viscount  Miura's  explanation  of  circumstances 
in  which  his  countrymen  were  so  seriously  implicated. 

Three  days  after  the  events  in  the  Palace,  and  while  the 
King  and  the  general  public  believed  the  Queen  to  be  alive,  a 
so-called  Royal  Edict,  a  more  infamous  outrage  on  the  Queen 
even  than  her  brutal  assassination,  was  published  in  the  Official 
Gazette.     The  King  on  being  asked  to  sign  it  refused,  and 


*5^  m 


til 


276 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


.1 
A*' 


said  he  would  have  his  hands  cut  off  rather,  but  it  appeared  as 
his  decree,  and  bore  the  signatures  of  the  Minister  of  the 
Household,  the  Prime  Minister,  and  six  other  members  of  the 
Cabinet. 

ROYAL   EDICT. 

It  is  now  thirty-two  years  since  We  ascended  the  throne,  but  Our  ruling 
influence  has  not  extended  wide.  The  Queen  Min  introduced  her  rela- 
tives to  the  Court  and  placed  them  about  Our  person,  whereby  she  made 
dull  Our  senses,  exposed  the  people  to  extortion,  put  Our  Government  in 
disorder,  jelling  offices  and  titles.  Hence  tyranny  prevailed  all  over  the 
country  and  robbers  arose  in  all  quarters.  Under  these  circumstances  the 
foundation  of  Our  dynasty  was  in  imminent  peril.  We  knew  the  extreme 
of  her  wickedness,  but  could  not  dismiss  and  punish  her  because  of  help- 
lessness and  fear  of  her  party. 

We  desire  to  stop  and  suppress  her  influence.  In  the  twelfth  moon  of 
last  year  we  took  an  oath  at  Oar  Ancestral  Shrine  that  the  Queen  and  her 
relatives  and  Ours  should  never  again  be  allowed  to  interfere  in  State  af- 
fairs. We  hoped  this  would  lead  the  Min  faction  to  mend  their  ways. 
But  the  Queen  did  not  give  up  her  wickedness,  but  with  her  party  aided 
a  crowd  of  low  fellows  to  rise  up  about  Us  and  so  managed  as  to  pre- 
vent the  Ministers  of  State  from  consulting  Us.  Moreover,  they  have 
forged  Our  signature  to  a  decree  to  disband  Our  loyal  soldiers,  thereby 
instigating  and  raising  a  disturbance,  and  when  it  occurred  she  escaped 
as  in  the  Im  O  year.  We  have  endeavored  to  discover  her  whereabouts, 
but  as  she  does  not  come  forth  and  appear  We  are  convinced  that  she  is 
not  only  unfitted  and  unworthy  of  the  Queen's  rank,  but  also  that  her 
guilt  is  excessive  and  brimful.  Therefore  with  her  We  may  not  succeed 
to  the  glory  of  the  Royal  Ancestry.  So  We  hereby  depose  her  from  the 
rank  of  Queen  and  reduce  her  to  the  level  of  the  lowest  class. 
Signed  by 

Yi  Chai-myon,  Minister  of  the  Royal  Household. 

Kim  Hong-chip,  Prime  Minister. 

Kim  Yun-sik,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

Pak  Chong-yang,  Minister  of  Home  Affairs. 

Shim  Sang-hun,  Minister  of  Finance. 

Cho  Heui-yon,  Minister  of  War, 

So  KwANG-POM,  Minister  of  Justice. 

So  KWANG-POM,  Minister  of  Education. 

Chong  Pyong-ha,  Vice-Minister  of  Agriculture  and 
Commerce. 


The  Assassination  of  the  Queen  277 

On  the  day  following  the  issue  of  this  fraudulent  and 
infamous  edict,  another  appeared  in  which  Her  Majesty  out 
of  pity  for  the  Crown  Prince  and  as  a  reward  for  his  deep  de- 
votion to  his  father,  was  "  raised  "  by  the  King  to  the  rank  of 
"  Concubine  of  the  First  Order  "  ! 

The  diplomats  were  harassed  and  anxious,  and  met  con- 
stantly to  discuss  the  situation.     Of  course  the  state  of  ex- 
treme tension  was  not  caused  solely  by  "  happenings"  in 
Korea  and  their  local  consequences.     For  behind  this  well- 
executed   plot,   and  the  diabolical  murder  of  a  defenceless 
woman,   lay  a  terrible  suspicion,  which  gained  in  strength 
every  hour  during  the  first  few  days  after  the  tragedy  till  it  in- 
tensified into  a  certainty,  of  which  people  spoke  as  in  cipher, 
by  hints  alone,  that  other  brains  than  Korean  planned  the 
plot,  that  other  than  Korean  hands  took  the  lives  that  were 
taken,  that  the  sentries  who  guarded  the  King's  apartments 
while  the  aeed  of  blood  was  being  perpetrated  wore  other  than 
Korean  uniforms,  and  that  other  than  Korean  bayonets  gleamed 
in  the  shadow  of  the  Palace  wall. 

People  spoke  their  suspicions  cautiously,  though  the  evidence 
of  General  Dye  and  of  Mr.  Sabatin  pointed  unmistakably  in 
one  direction.     So  early  as  the  day  after  the  afifair,  the  ques- 
tion which  emerged  was,  "Is  Viscount  General  Miura  crim- 
inally implicated  or  not  ?  "     It  is  needless  to  go  into  partic- 
ulars on  this  subject.     Ten  days  after  the  tragedy  at  the  Palace 
the  Japanese  Government,  which  was  soon  proved  innocent  of 
any  complicity  in  the  affair,  recalled  and  arrested  Viscount 
Miura,  Sugimura,  and  Okamoto,  Adviser  to  the  Korean  War  De- 
partment, who,  some  months  later,  along  with  forty-five  others 
were  placed  on  their  trial  before  the  Japanese  Court  of  First 
Instance  at  Hiroshima,  and  were  acquitted  on  the  technical 
ground  that  there  was  "no  sufficient  evidence  to  prove  that 
any  of  the  accused  actually  committed  the  crime  originally 
meditated  by  them,"  this  crime,  according  to  the  judgment, 
being  that  two  of  the  accused,  "at  the  instigation  of 


278 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


MlURA,    DECIDED   TO   MURDER   THE  QuEEN,    and  tOok  StCpS  by 

collecting  accomplices  .  .  .   more  than  ten  others  were  di- 
rected by  these  two  persons  to  do  away  with  the  Queen." 

Viscount  Miura  was  replaced  by  Mr.  Komura,  an  able  di- 
plomatist, and  shortly  afterwards  Count  Inouye  arrived,  bearing 
the  condolences  of  the  Emperor  of  Japan  to  the  unfortunate 
Korean  King.  A  heavier  blow  to  Japanese  prestige  and  po- 
sition as  the  leader  of  civilization  in  the  East  could  not  have 
been  struck,  and  the  Government  continues  to  deserve  our 
sympathy  on  the  occasion.  For  when  the  disavowal  is  for- 
gotten, it  will  be  always  remembered  that  the  murderous  plot 
was  arranged  in  the  Japanese  Legation,  and  that  of  the  Japa- 
nese dressed  as  civilians  and  armed  with  swords  and  pistols, 
who  were  directly  engaged  in  the  outrages  committed  in  the 
Palace,  sorie  were  advisers  to  the  Korean  Government  and  in 
its  pay,  aid  others  were  Japanese  policemen  connected  with 
the  Japanese  Legation— sixty  persons  in  all,  including  those 
known  as  Soshi,  and  exclusive  of  the  Japanese  troops. 

The  Foreign  Representatives  with  one  exception  informed 
the  Cabinet  that  until  steps  were  taken  to  bring  the  assassins 
to  justice,  till  the  Kun-ren-tai  Guard  was.  removed  from  the 
Palace,  and  till  the  recently  introduced  members  of  the 
Cabinet  who  were  responsible  for  the  outrages  had  been  ar- 
raigned or  at  least  removed  from  office,  they  declined  to  recog- 
nize any  act  of  the  Government,  or  to  accept  as  authentic  any 
order  issued  by  it  in  the  King's  name.  The  prudence  of  this 
course  became  apparent  later. 

On  15th  October,  in  an  extra  issue  of  the  Official  Gazette, 
it  was  announced  "By  Royal  Command"  that,  as  the  po- 
sition of  Queen  must  not  remain  vacant  for  a  day,  proceed- 
ings for  the  choice  of  a  bride  were  to  begin  at  once  !  This 
was  only  one  among  the  many  insults  which  were  heaped  upon 
the  Royal  prisoner. 

During  the  remainder  of  October  and  November  there  was 
no  improvement  in  affairs.     The  gloom  was  profound.     In- 


■^'  i 


The  Assassination  of  the  Queen         279 


stead  of  Royal  receptions  and  entertainments,  the  King, 
shaken  by  terror  a.id  in  hourly  dread  of  poison  or  assassina- 
tio..,  was  a  close  prisoner  in  a  poor  part  of  his  own  palace,  in 
the  hands  of  a  Cabinet  chiefly  composed  of  men  who  were 
the  tools  of  the  mutinous  soldiers  who  were  practically  his 
jailers,  compelled  to  put  his  seal  to  edicts  which  he  loathed, 
the  tool  of  men  on  whose  hands  the  blood  of  his  murdered 
Queen  was  hardly  dry.  Nothing  could  be  more  pitiable  than 
the  condition  of  the  King  and  Crown  Prince,  each  dreading 
that  the  other  would  be  slain  before  his  eyes,  not  daring  to  eat 
of  any  food  prepared  in  the  Palace,  dreading  to  be  separated, 
even  for  a  few  minutes,  without  an  adherent  whom  they  could 
trust,  and  with  recent  memories  of  infinite  horror  as  food  for 
contemplation. 

General  Dye,  the  American  military  adviser,  an  old  and 
feeble  man,  slept  near  the  Palace  Library,  and  the  American 
missionaries  in  twos  took  it  in  turns  to  watch  with  him.  This 
was  the  only  protection  which  the  unfortunate  sovereign  pos- 
sessed. He  was  also  visited  daily  by  the  Foreign  Representa- 
tives in  turns,  with  the  double  object  of  ascertaining  that  he 
was  alive  and  assuring  him  of  their  sympathy  and  interest. 
Food  was  supplied  to  him  in  a  locked  box  from  the  Russian 
or  U.  S,  Legations,  but  so  closely  was  he  watched,  that  it  was 
difficult  to  pass  the  key  into  his  hand,  and  a  hasty  and  very 
occasional  whisper  was  the  only  communication  he  could  suc- 
ceed in  making  to  these  foreigners,  who  were  his  sole  reliance. 
Undoubtedly  from  the  first  he  hoped  to  escape  either  to  the 
English  or  Russian  Legation.  At  times  he  sobbed  piteously 
and  shook  the  hands  of  the  foreigners,  who  made  no  attempt 
to  conceal  the  sympathy  they  felt  for  the  always  courteous 
and  kindly  sovereign. 

Entertainments  among  the  foreigners  ceased.  The  dismay 
was  too  profound  and  the  mourning  too  real  to  permit  even  of 
the  mild  gaieties  of  a  Seoul  winter.  Every  foreign  lady,  and 
specially  Mrs.  Underwood,  Her  Majesty's  medical  attendant, 


,511 


i! 


■ 


280  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

and  Mme.  Waeber,  who  had  been  an  intimate  friend,  felt  her 
death  as  a  personal  loss.     Her  Oriental  unscrupulousness  in 
politics  was  forgotten  in  the  horror  excited  by  the  story  of  her 
end      Yet  then  and  for  some  time  afterwards  people  clung  to 
the  hope  that  she  had  escaped  as  on  a  former  occasion,  and 
was  m  hiding.     Among  Koreans  opinion  was  greatly  con- 
cealed  for  there  were  innumerable  arrests,  and  no  one  knew 
when  his  turn  might  come,  but  it  was  believed  that  there  was 
an  earnest  desire  to  liberate  the  King.     A  number  of  foreign 
warships   lay  at  Chemu'po,  and  the  British,  Russian,   and 
American  Legations  were  guarded  by  marines 

Nearly  a  month  after  the  assassination  of  the  Queen,  and 
when  all  hope  of  her  escape  had  been  abandoned,  the  condi- 
ion  of  things  was  so  serious  under  the  rule  of  the  new  Cabinet, 
hat  an  attempt  was  made  by  the  Foreign  Representatives  to 
terminate  it  by  urging  on  Count  Inouye  to  disarm  the  Kun- 
jv«-/«/  and  occupy  the  Palace  with  Japanese  troops  until  the 
^yal  soldiers  had  been  drilled  into  an  efficiency  on  which  the 
King  might  rely  for  his  personal  safety.     It  will  be  seen  from 
this  proposal  how  completely  the  Japanese  Government  was 
exonerated  from  blame  by  the  diplomatic  agents  of  the  Great 
powers.     This  proposal  was  not  received  with  cordial  alacrity 
by  Count  Inouye,  who  felt  that  the  step  of  an  armed  reoccu- 
pation  of  the  Palace  by  the  Japanese,  though  with  the  object 
of  securing  the  King's  safety,  would  be  liable  to  serious  mis- 
construction, and  might  bring  about  very  grave  complications, 
^uch  an  Idea  was  only  to  be  entertained  if  Japan  received  a 
distinct  mandate  from  the  Powers.     The  telegraph  was  set  to 
work  a  due  amount  of  consent  to  the  arrangement  was  ob- 
tained, and  when  I  left  Seoul  on  a  northern  journey  on  No- 
vember 7th.  it  was  in  the  full  belief  that  on  reaching  Phyong- 

rf  i.f  °u'^  u"^  "  *'''^'"^""  announcing  that  this  serious 

rfu    t         "^  been  successfully  accomplished  in  the  presence 

of   he  Foreign  Representatives.     Japan,  however,  did  not  un- 

dertake  the  task,  though  urged  to  do  so  both  by  Count  Inouye 


/ 


The  Assassination  of  the  Queen  281 

and  Mr.  Ko.nura,  the  new  Representative,  and  the  Kun  r.n 
tat  remained  in  power    anH  \h^  v  J^unren- 

'  puwer,  ana  the  King  a  orisoner      W-^a  ti,- 
reco„„e„d..jo„  of  .he  Foreign  Represi.aU  vSlongwh  1* 

tlZr  *'P''f "'""'"  "^^  'I- most  emphatic  inCi" 

Korea  would  have  been  avoided.  It  is  only  fair  to  the  Russian 
Government  to  state  that  it  gave  a  distfnc.  mandate  to  he 
Jap,nese  ,o  disarm  the  J,u„...„.,ai  and  take  charg  o^  h^ 
Kmg,  The  Japanese  Government  declined,  and  therefore  ,! 
DuMrrN  ""V"  f  ""'"■'  ^"^'^-"'  intervention         '  " 

.He  position  became  ^^^^Xt^Z^  ZZ^t 
Fore,gn  Representatives  and  of  all  clasfes  of  Ko™  siha  te 
occurrences  of  the  8th  of  October  must  be  inveZt  d  and 

ioned  2r;,°"  rr'  '^"""  "='"«  '"  "■"'"^  shouldte    ban 
Is!  he  H  ?^'""  """''""Sly  recognized  that  something 

must  be  done.     So  on  26,h  November  the  Foreign  Renreslnt? 
m-es„re  invited  by  the  King  to  the  Pal^'Tod   h  Tr  1" 

a^fd  ■„"/'■'!?""  <■'  "'»  '^i'^'y-  -"o  was  profouX 
ag  lated,  produced  a  decree  bearing  the  King's  signature  dis 

iL.t    ^  •  ''"'aring  Hiat  the  so-called  Edict  deerad 

fhatth  'o    urr^trsAoT;'  '"  ""  '°™"  -""-^ 
h^  n,»  r.  ^'"  October  were  to  be  investieated 

.o^:e^l^nr:„:lrrr:^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

nounced  at  the  same  time  ''  ^'^'''>^  ^^  ""- 

:fJs5s^^--*r:.^p^L:;ds::^- 

with  the  announcement."     Mr    Hillipr  f^iL     ^    " '"*"s'ac 
ffrat.ilnf.-nrv  u-    n/r  •  wiiiier  followed   by  "con- 

.CIm'S  th' S:,^;:*'^;^""'^  =«p^.  =■-<'  -oped 

fanining  ot  a  time  of  peace  and  tranquillity. 


■  li! 


282 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


and  relieve  His  Majesty  from  much  anxiety."    These  good 
wishes  were  cordially  endorsed  by  his  colleagues. 

The  measures  proposed  by  the  King  to  reassert  his  lost 
authority  and  punish  the  conspirators  promised  very  well,  but 
were  rendered  abortive  by  a  "loyal  plot,"  which  was  formed 
by  the  Old  Palace  Guard  and  a  number  of  Koreans,  some  of 
them  by  no  means  insignificant  men.     It  had  for  its  object 
the  liberation  of  the  sovereign  and  the  substitution  of  loyal 
troops  for  the  Kun-ren-tai.     Though  it  ended  in  a  fiasco  two 
nights  after  this  hopeful  interview,  its  execution  having  been 
frustrated  by  premature  disclosures,  its  results  were  disastrous, 
for  it  involved  a  number  of  prominent  men,  created  grave  sus- 
picions, raised  up  a  feeling  of  antagonism  to  foreigners,  some 
of  whom  (American  missionaries)  were  believed  to  be  cogni- 
zant of  the  plot,  if  not  actually  accessories,  and  brought  about 
a  general  confusion,  from  which,  when  I  left  Korea  five  weeks 
later,  there  was  no  prospect  of  escape.     The  King  was  a  closer 
prisoner  than  ever;  those  surrounding  him  grew  familiar  and 
insolent ;  he  lived  in  dread  of  assassination  j  and  he  had  no 
more  intercourse  with  foreigners,  except  with  those  who  had  an 
official  right  to  enter  the  Palace,  which  they  became  increas- 
ingly  unwilling  to  exercise. 

It  was  with  much  regret  that  I  left  Seoul  for  a  journey  in  the 
interior  at  this  most  exciting  time,  when  every  day  brought 
fresh  events  and  rumors,  and  a  coup  d'etat  of  great  im- 
portance was  believed  to  be  impending;  but  I  had  very  little 
time  at  my  disposal  before  proceeding  to  Western  China  on  a 
long-planned  journey. 


I«i 


il 


I 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


BURIAL  CUSTOMS 


AFTER  the  interpreter  difficulty  had  appeared  as  before 
insurmountable,  I  was  provided  with  one  who  acquitted 
himself  to  perfection,  and  through  whose  good  offices  I  came 
much  nearer  to  the  people  than  if  I  had  been  accompanied  by 
a  foreigner.  He  spoke  English  remarkably  well,  was  always 
bright,  courteous,  intelligent,  and  good-natured;  he  had  a 
keen  sense  of  the  ludicrous,  and  I  owe  much  of  the  pleasure, 
as  well  as  the  interest,  of  my  journey  to  his  companionship. 
Mr.  Hillier  equipped  me  with  Im,  a  soldier  of  the  Legation 
Guard,  as  my  servant.  He  had  attended  me  on  photograph- 
ing expeditions  on  a  former  visit,  and  on  the  journey  I  found 
him  capable,  faithful,  quick,  and  full  of  "go,"— so  valuable 
and  efficient,  indeed,  as  to  "  take  the  shine"  out  of  any  sub- 
sequent attendant.  With  these,  a  passport,  and  a  kwan-ja  or 
letter  from  the  Korean  Foreign  Office  commending  me  to 
official  help  (never  used),  my  journey  was  made  under  the 
best  possible  auspices. 

The  day  before  I  left  was  spent  in  making  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Yi  Hak  In,  receiving  farewell  visits  from  many  kind  and 
helpful  friends,  looking  over  the  backs  and  tackle  of  the  ponies 
I  had  engaged  for  the  journey,  and  in  arranging  a  photo- 
graphic outfit.  Im  was  taught  to  make  curry,  an  accomplish- 
ment in  which  he  soon  excelled,  and  I  had  no  other  cooking 
done  on  the  journey.  For  the  benefit  of  future  travellers  I  will 
mention  that  my  equipment  consisted  of  a  camp-bed  and  bed- 
ding, candles,  a  large,  strong,  doubly  oiled  sheet,  a  folding 
chair,  a  kettle,  two  pots,  a  cup  and  two  plates  of  enamelled 
iron,  some  tea  which  turned  out  musty,  some  flour,  curry 

283 


fi 


1    , 


284  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

powder,  and  a  tin  of  Edward's  "desslcated  soup."  which  came 
bacic  unopened  1     To  the  oft-repeated  question^  Did  you 
a^r:r.       W       '  "^'^  -^--'y-Pheasants/fowIs,  po'a : 
(the  best  of  all   travelling   hats),  and  Korean  string  shoes 
completed  my  outfit,  and  I  never  needed  anything  I  had  n" 

The  start  on  7th  November  was  managed  in  good  time 

Tz:zvi  ""^'^'^^^'  ^"^ '  -y-y  at':';::; 

the  ,„a/u,  the  bugbear  and  torment  of  travellers  usually,  never 

I  d  helnfuV     7       °"^/'^''  ^°"''"^y^'  -«••«  always  willing 
a^d  helpful,  and  a  month  later  we  parted  excellent  friends 

think  that  Korean  ma/u  are  a  maligned  class.     For  each  ponv 
and  man   the  food  of  both  being  included,  l,A$TZut 

Mr'  ^Uadr'"  '"""'"^'  ^"'  ''''  ''^^  sum^hen'haUi.; 
t1      a         r  P°""''  ^  '^°  ^'^^"g^  ^"''^als,  on  one  of  which 
Im  rode,  and  a  saddle  pony.  /...  a  pack  pony  equipped  with 
my  sidesaddle  for  the  occasion.  "^       ^    ^    luippea  with 

in.?f '?  It  '^"  ^"^"'^  ^'«'''*'°"  ^"d  »''^  Customs'  build- 
ings, we  left  the  c.ty  by  tl  e  West  Gate,  and  passing  the  stone 

s^mpswh,ch  up  till  lately  supported  the  car'ved  and  co   "d 

roof  under  which  generations  of  Korean   kings  after  theTr 

accession  met  the  Chinese  envoys,  wh.  came  in  great  state  to 

"rru  'T;'?  f  °^^^"  ^°^^^^''^"^^'  -d  ^^^-/^  the  na^^w 

capita'fnH  t     '  r  ""I"  ?  '''  ''^''"^  ^^^^'  '''  ''''  ^he  unique 
capital  and  Us  lofty  clambering  wall  out  of  sight.     The  day 

was  splendid  even  for  a  Korean  autumn,  and  the  l^gh  ful 

P  k  iri  r  "r1  't'''''  '''  ''"''"^  corrugations  of 
.^ed    nto  ZT:T  °'  '''  """^^  ""^  atmospherically  ideal- 
zed  into  perfect   beauty.     For  several  miles  the  road  was 
hronged  with  bulls  loaded  with  faggots,  rice,  and  pine  bru" 
for  the  supply  of  the  daily  necessities  of  the  city ;  then   excen 
when  passing  through  the  villages,  it  became  so  Itary loi^h 


Burial  Customs 


285 


except  for  an  occasional  group  of  long-sworded  Japanese  trav- 
ellers,  or  baggage  ponies  in  charge  of  Japanese  soldiers 

rhe  road  as  far  as  Pa  Ju  lies  through  pretty  country,  small 
valleys  either  terraced  for  rice,  which  was  lying  out  to  dry  on 
the  dykes,  or  growing  barley,  wheat,  millet,  and  cotton,  sur- 
rounded  by  low  but  shapely  hills,  denuded  of  everything  but 
oak  and  pine  scrub,  but  with  folds  in  which  the  Finns  sinensis 
grew  in  dark  clumps,  lighted  up  by  the  vanishing  scarlet  of 
the  maple  and  the  glowing  crimson  of  the  Ampehpsis  Veitchii 
On  the  lower  slopes,  and  usually  in  close  proximity  to  the 
timber,  are  numerous  villages,  their  groups  of  deep-eaved, 
brown-thatched  roofs,  on  which  scarlet  capsicums  were  laid 
out  to  dry,  looking  pretty  enough  as  adjuncts  to  landscapes 
wh.ch  on  the  whole  lack  life  and  emphasis.     The  villaL 
through  which  the  road  passes  were  seen  at  their  best,  for  tlie 
roadway  serving  for  the  village  threshing  floor,  was  daily  swept 
for  the  threshing  of  rice  and  millet,  the  passage  r.    travellers 
being  a  .  y  consideration;  everything  was  dry,  and 

cleldiest^  °"'''  °^  ^^"^  ^^°^'^  ""^'^  consequently  at  their 
At  noon  we  reached  Ko-yang,  a  poor  place  of  300  hovels, 
with  ruinous  official  buildings  of  some  size,  once  handsome. 
At  this,  and  every  other  magistracy  up  to  Phyong-yang,  from 
20  to  30  Japanese  soldiers  were  quartered  in  ,\,tyamens.  The 
people  hated  them  with  a  hatred  which  is  the  legacy  of  three 

tTnTth  7;.^"'  '°"J^,  "°*  '"'^^  '"y*^'"«  ^g^'"^*  "^'^^  admit- 
ting that  they  paid  for  all  they  got,  molested  no  one,  and  were 

seldom  seen  outside  the  yamen  gates.     There  the  mapu  halted 

for  two  hours  to  give  their  ponies  and  themselves  a  feed.    This 

midday  halt  is  one  bone  of  contention  between  travellers  and 

themselves.    No  amount  of  hunting  and  worrying  them  shortens 

the  halt  by  more  than  ten  minutes,  and  I  preferred  peace  of 

spirit,  only  insisting  that  when  the  road  admitted  of  it,  as  it 

frequently  did,  they  should  travel  i.  H,  or  about  thre^  and 

three-quarter  miles,  an  hour.    At  Ko-yang  I  began  the  custom 


286 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


hi 


I? 


j]\\ 


I 


of  giving  the  landlord  of  the  inn  at  which  I  halted  loo  cash 
for  the  room  in  which  I  rested,  which  gave  great  satisfaction. 
I  had  my  mattress  laid  upon  the  hot  floor,  and  as  Im,  by  in- 
stinct, secured  privacy  for  me  by  fastening  up  mats  and  cur- 
tains over  the  paper  walls  and  doors,  these  midday  halts  were 
very  pleasant.  Almost  every  house  in  these  roadside  villages 
and  small  towns  has  a  low  table  of  such  food  as  Koreans  love 
laid  out  under  the  eaves. 

Beyond  Ko-yang,  standing  out  in  endless  solemnity  above  a 
pine  wood  on  the  side  of  a  steep  hill,  are  two  of  the  strangely 
few  antiquities  of  which  Korea  can  boast.     These  are  two 
mnoks,  colossal  busts,  about  35  feet  in  height,  carved  out  of 
the  solid  rock.     They  are  supposed  to  be  relics  of  the  very 
early  days  of  Korean  Buddhism,  when  men  were  religious 
enough  to  toil  at  such  stupendous  works,  and  to  represent  the 
male  and  female  elements  in  nature.     They  are  side  by  side. 
One  wears  a  round  and  the  other  a  square  hat.     The  Bud- 
dhistic calm,  or  rather  I  should  say  apathy,  rests  on  their  huge 
faces,  which  have  looked  stolidly  on  many  a  change  in  Korea, 
but  on  none  greater  than  the  last  year  had  witnessed. 

During  the  day  we  saw  three  funerals,  and  I  observed  that 
a  Japanese  detachment  which  occupied  the  whole  road  filed  to 
the  right  and  left  to  let  one  of  the  processions  pass,  the  men 
raising  their  caps  to  the  corpse  as  they  did  so.    These  funerals 
gave  an  impression  of  gaiety  rather  than  grief.     Two  men 
walked   first,  carrying  silk  bannerets  which  designated  the 
woman  about  to  be  interred  as  the  wife  of  so  and  so,  a  married 
woman  having  no  name.     Next  came  a  man  walking  back- 
wards with  many  streamers  of  colored  ribbon  floating  from  his 
hat,  ringing  a  large  bell,  and  accompanying  its  clang  with  a 
dissonance  supposed  to  be  singing.     The  coffin,  under  a  four- 
posted  domed  cover  and  concealed  by  gay  curtains,  was  borne 
on  a  platform  by  twelve  men,  and  was  followed  by  a  large 
party  of  male  mourners,  a  man  with  a  musical  instrument,  a 
table,  and  a  box  of  food.     None  of  the  faces  were  composed 


Burial  Customs 


287 


to  a  look  of  grief.     On  the  dome  were  two  mythical  birds  re- 
sembling the  phoenix.     The  dome  and  curtains  were  brilliantly 
colored,  and  decorated  with  ribbon  streamers.     Two  corpses 
each  extended  on  a  board  and  covered  with  white  paper  pasted 
over  small  hoops,  lay  in  the  roadway  at  different  places.    Tiiese 
were  bodies  of  persons  who  had  died  far  from  home  and  were 
being  conveyed  to  their  friends  for  burial.     Later  we  met  an 
other  funeral,  the  corpse  carried  as  before  on  a  platform  by 
twelve  bearers,  who  moved  to  a  rhythmic  chant  of  the  most 
cheerful  description,  the  whole  party  being  as  jolly  as  if  they 
were  going  to  a  marriage.     There  was  a  cross  in  front  of  the  gay 
hearse  with  an  extended  dragon  on  each  arm,  and  four  large 
gady  painted  birds  resembling  pheasants  were  on  the  dome 

Korean  customs  as  to  death  and  burial  deserve  a  brief  notice 
When  a  man  or  woman  falls  ill,  the  mu-tang  or  sorceress  is 
called  in  to  exorcise  the  spirit  which  has  caused  the  illness. 
When  this  fails  and  death  becomes  imminent,  in  the  case  of  a 
man  no  women  are  allowed  to  remain  in  the  room  but  his 
nearest  female  relations,  and  in  that  of  a  woman  all  men  must 
withdraw  except  her  husband,  father,  and  brother.    After  death 
the  body,  specially  at  the  joints,  is  shampooed,  and  when  it 
has  been  made  flexible  it  is  covered  with  a  clean  sheet  and  laid 
fo.  three  days  on  a  board,  on  which  seven  stars  are  painted. 
This  board  is  eventually  burned  at  the  grave.     The  "Star 
Board,    as  it  ,s  called,  is  a  euphemism  for  death,  and  is  spoken 
of  as  we  speak  of  .'  the  grave."    During  these  days  the  grave- 
clothes,  which  are  of  good  materials  in  red,  blue,  and  yellow 

f  nT'^r  T^^f-     ^''''''  ^"^^^"^  ^"J°'"«  that  burial 
ha  1  be  delayed  in  the  case  of  a  poor  man  three  days  only,  in 

that  of  a  middle-class  man  nine  days,  of  a  nobleman  or  high 
official  three  months,  and  in  that  of  one  of  the  Royal  Family 
mne  months,  but  this  period  may  be  abridged  or  extended  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  King. 

Man  is  supposed  to  have  three  souls.     After  death  one  occu- 
pies  the  tablet,  one  the  grave,  and  one  the  Unknown.    During 


t| 


in 


ill 


HMMMMI 


288 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


the  passing  of  the  spirit  there  is  complete  silence.  The  under 
garments  of  the  dead  are  taken  out  by  a  servant,  who  waves 
them  in  the  air  and  calls  him  by  name,  the  relations  and  friends 
meantime  wailing  loudly.  After  a  time  the  clothes  are  thrown 
upon  the  roof.  When  the  corpse  has  been  temporarily  dressed, 
it  is  bound  so  tightly  round  the  chest  as  sometimes  to  break 
the  shoulder  blades,  which  is  interpreted  as  a  sign  of  gook  luck. 
After  these  last  offices  a  table  is  placed  outside  the  door,  on 
which  are  three  bowls  of  rice  and  a  squash.  Beside  it  are 
three  pair  of  straw  sandals.  The  rice  and  sandals  are  for  the 
three  sajaSt  or  official  servants,  who  come  to  conduct  one  of 
the  souls  to  the  "Ten  Judges."  The  squash  is  broken,  the 
shoes  burned,  and  the  rice  thrown  away  within  half  an  hour 
after  death.  Pictures  of  the  Siptai-wong  or  "Ten  Judges  " 
are  to  be  seen  in  Buddhist  temples  in  Korea.  On  a  man's 
death  one  of  his  souls  is  seized  by  their  servants  and  carried 
to  the  Unknown,  where  these  Judges,  who  through  their  spies 
are  kept  well  informed  as  to  human  deeds,  sentence  it  accord- 
ingly, either  to  "a  good  place"  or  to  one  of  the  manifold 
hells.  The  influence  of  Buddhism  doubtless  maintains  the  ob- 
servance of  this  singular  custom,  even  where  the  idea  of  its 
significance  is  lost  or  discredited. 

The  coffin  is  oblong.  Where  interment  is  delayed,  it  is 
hermetically  sealed  with  several  coats  of  lacquer.  Until  the 
funeral  there  is  wailing  daily  in  the  dead  man's  house  at  the 
three  hours  of  meals.  Next  the  geomancer  is  consulted  about 
the  site  for  the  grave,  and  receives  a  fee  heavy  in  proportion  to 
the  means  of  the  family.  He  -s  believed  from  long  study  to 
have  become  acquainted  with  all  the  good  and  bad  influences 
which  are  said  to  reside  in  the  ground.  A  fortunate  site 
brings  rank,  wealth,  and  many  sons  to  the  sons  and  grandsons 
of  the  deceased,  and  should  be,  if  possible,  on  the  southerly 
slope  of  a  hill.  He  also  chooses  an  auspicious  day  for  the 
burial. 

In  the  case  of  a  rich  man,  the  grave  with  a  stone  altar  in 


Burial  Customs 


289 


It   IS 


front  of  It  IS  prepared  beforehand,  in  that  of  a  poor  man  not 
111  the  procession  arrives.  The  coffin  is  placed  in  a  gaily  deco- 
rated hearse,  and  with  availing,  music,  singing,  wine,  food,  and 
If  in  the  evennig.  with  many  colored  lanterns,  the  cortige^ro- 
ceeds  to  the  grave.  A  widow  may  accompany  her  husband's 
corpse  ^x^  a  closed  chair,  though  this  appears  unusual,  but  the 
mourners  are  all  men  in  immense  hats,  which  conceal  their 
faces,  and  sackcloth  clothing. 

After  the  burial  and  the  making  of  the  circular  mound  over 
tlie  coffin,  a  hbat.on  of  wine  is  poured  out  and  the  company 

dned  fish  are  placed  on  the  stone  altar  in  front  of  the  grave  if 
It  has  been  erected,  or  on  small  tables.  The  relatives,  facing 
these  and  the  grave,  make  five  prostrations,  and  a  formuk 
wishing  peace  to  the  spirit  which  is  to  dwell  there  is  repeated 
Behmd  the  grave  similar  offerings  and  prostrations  are  made 
to  he  niountain  sp.nt,  who  presides  over  it.  and  who  is  the 
host  of  the  soul  committed  to  his  care.  The  wine  is  thrown 
away  and  the  fish  bestowed  upon  the  servants.     It  will  be  ob- 

wTh/  1'  "°f  f  ^'^f  ^  ^"y  P^"-'  in  the  ceremonies  connected 
with  death  and  burial,  and  that  two  souls  have  now  been  dis- 
posed of^ne  to  the  judgment  of  the  Unknown,  and  the 
other  to  the  keeping  of  the  mountain  spirit 

taii'.^thV'  'nvariably  carried  in  a  funeral  procession  con. 
taining  the  memorial,  or,  as  we  say,  the  "ancestral  tablet" 
of  the  deceased,  a  strip  of  white  wood,  bearing  the  family 

written  at  he  house,  and  it  is  completed  at  the  grave.  It  is 
carried  back  with  exactly  the  same  style  and  attelance  h 
he  dead  man  would  have  had  had  he  been  living,  for  the  third 
soul  IS  supposed  to  return  to  the  house  with  the  mourners,  and 
to  take  up  Its  abode  in  the  tablet,  which  is  placed  in  a  vacant 
tTbThrr  ''"'''  °"  u-^'"'^  ^''^^"^^  ^^^^^  ^'*h  a  black  lacquer 
Ltl  TJ  '  °"  ""^"'^  ''"'^''^  °^^^'"g^  ^'^  ™ade  of  bread, 
wine,  cooked  meat,  and  vermicelli  soup,  the  spirit  being  sup! 


MWMMb 


■Ar*"- 


290 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


t  I 


posed  to  regale  itself  with  their  odors.  The  mourners  again 
prostrate  themselves  five  times,  after  which  they  eat  the  offer- 
ings in  an  adjoining  room.  It  is  customary  for  friends  to 
strew  the  rout  of  the  procession  with  paper  money. 

In  the  period  between  the  death  and  the  interment  silence 
is  observed  in  the  house  of  mourning,  and  only  those  visitors 
are  received  who  come  to  condole  with  the  family  and  speak  of 
the  virtues  of  the  departed.     It  is  believed  that  conversation  on 
any  ordinary  topic  will  cause  the  corpse  to  shake  in  the  coffin 
and  show  other  symptoms  of  unrest.     For  the  same  reason  the 
servants  are  very  particular  in  watching  the  cats  of  the  house- 
hold if  there  are  any,  but  cats  are  not  in  favor  in  Korea.     It 
is  terribly  unlucky  for  a  cat  to  jump  over  a  corpse.     It  may 
even  cause    it    to  stand  upright.     After  the  deceased  has 
been  carried  out  of  the  house,  two  or  three  mutangs  or 
sorceresses  enter  it  with  musical   instrrments  and  the  other 
paraphernalia  of  their  profession.     After  a  time  one  becomes 
«« inspired  "  by  the  spirit  of  the  dead  man,  and  accurately  im- 
personates him,  even  to  his  small  tricks  of  manner,  movement, 
and  speech.     She  gives  a  narrative  of  his  life  in  the  first  per- 
son singular,  if  he  were  a  bad  man  confessing  his  misdeeds, 
which  may  have  been  unsuspected  by  his  neighbors,  and  if  he 
were  a  good  man,  narrating  his  virtues  with  becoming  modesty. 
At  the  end  she  bows,  takes  a  solemn  farewell  of  those  present, 

and  retires. 

After  the  tablet  has  been  removed  to  the  ancestral  temple, 
and  the  period  of  mourning  is  over,  meals  are  offered  in  the 
shrine  once  every  month,  and  also  on  the  anniversary  of  each 
death,  all  the  descendants  assembling,  and  these  observances 
extend  backwards  to  the  ancestors  of  five  generations.  Thus 
it  is  a  very  costly  thing  to  have  many  near  relations  and  a 
number  of  ancestors,  the  expense  falling  on  the  eldest  son  and 
his  heirs.  A  Korean  gentleman  told  me  that  his  nephew, 
upon  whom  this  duty  falls,  spends  more  upon  it  than  upon  his 
household  expenses. 


Burial  Customs 


291 


nir.H  !,    Tu       Vf  '^'"'  ^'''''  '"°"^"'"S  f°^  ^  f^^h«  has  ex- 
pired that  h.s  tablet  is  removed  to  the  ancestral  temple  which 

nch  men  have  near  their  houses.    During  the  period  of  mourn- 
ing .t  is  kept  ,n  a  vacant  room,  usually  in  the  women's  apart- 
ments     A  poor  man  puts  it  in  a  box  on  one  side  of  his  room. 
a.)d  when   he  worships   his  other  ancestors,  strips  of  paper 
with  their  names  upon  them  are  pasted  on  the  mud  wall      I 
have  slept  in  rooms  in  which  the  tablet  lay  smothered  in  dust 
on  one  of  the  crossbeams.     Common  people  only  worship  for 
t     ^TT     .  '^'''  generations.     The  anniversary  of  a 
fa  hers  death  is  kept  with  much  ceremony  for  three  years. 
On  the  previous  night  sacrifice  is  offered  before  the  tablet,  and 
on  the  following  day  the  friends  pay  visits  of  condolence  to  the 
family,  and  eat  varieties  of  food.     During  the  day  they  visit 
he  grave  and  offer  sacrifices  to  the  soul  and  the  mountain 
spin  t* 

A  widovv  wears  mourning  all  her  life.     If  she  has  no  son 
she  acts  the  part  of  a  son  in  performing  the  ancestral  rites  for 
her  husband.    It  has  not  been  correct  for  widows  to  remarry 
If;  however,  a  widow  inherits  property  she  occasionally  mar- 

rrdfndXt:!''"^^'""^^^^^'  ^"  -''-'  --  ^'^  ^^  "-"^ 
The  custom  of  tolerating  the  remarriage  of  widows  has 
however,  lately  been  changed  into  the  ..^^ifof  remarriage      ' 


m 


ii|nni|iii«..mi 


CHAPTER  XXV 


song-do:  a  royal  city 


IT  grew  dark  before  we  reached  Pa  Ju,  and  the  mapu  were 
in  great  terror  of  tigers  and  robbers.  It  is  unpleasant  to 
reach  a  Korean  inn  after  nightfall,  for  there  are  no  lights  by 
which  to  unload  the  baggage,  and  noise  and  confusion  prevail. 

When  the  traveller  arrives  a  man  rushes  in  with  a  brush, 
stirs  up  the  dust  and  vermin,  and  sometimes  puts  down  a 
coarse  mat.  Experience  7  is  tanght  me  that  an  oiled  sheet  is  a 
better  protection  against  vsrmin  tha.i  a  pony-load  of  insect 
powder.  I  made  much  use  of  the  tripod  of  my  camera.  It 
served  as  a  candle-stand,  a  barometer  suspender,  and  an  ar- 
rangement on  which  to  hang  my  clothes  at  night  out  of  harm's 
way.  In  two  hours  after  arrival  my  food  was  ready,  after 
which  Mr.  Yi  came  in  to  talk  over  the  day,  to  plan  the  mor- 
row, to  enlighten  me  on  Korean  customs,  and  to  interpret  my 
orders  to  the  faithful  Im,  and  by  8.30  I  was  asleep  ! 

After  leaving  Pa  Ju  the  country  is  extremely  pretty,  and  one 
of  the  most  picturesque  views  in  Korea  is  from  the  height 
overlooking  the  romantically  situated  village  of  Im-jin,  cluster- 
ing along  both  sides  of  a  ravine,  which  terminates  on  the 
broad  Im-jin  Gang,  a  tributary  of  the  Han,  in  two  steep  rocky 
bluffs,  sprinkled  with  the  Pinus  sinensis,  the  two  being  con- 
nected by  a  fine,  double-roofed  granite  Chinese  gateway,  in- 
scribed "Gate  for  the  tranquillization  of  the  West."  The 
road  passing  down  the  village  street  reaches  the  water's  edge 
through  this  relic,  one  of  three  or  four  similar  barriers  on  this 
high-road  to  China.  The  Im-jin  Gang,  there  343  yards 
broad,  has  shallow  water  and  a  flat  sandy  shore  on  its  north 

292 


Song-do:  A  Royal  City  293 

side,  but  a  range  of  high  bluffs,  crowned  with  extensive  old 
defensive  works,  lines  the  south  side,  the  gateway  being  the 
only  break  for  many  miles.  Below  these  the  river  is  a  deep 
green  stream,  navigable  for  craft  of  14  tons  for  40  miles  from 
us  mouth.  There  was  a  still,  faintly  blue  atmosphere,  and  the 
sails  of  boats  passing  dreamily  into  the  mountains  over  the  sil- 
ver water  had  a  most  artistic  effect. 

There  .re  two  Chinese  bridges  on  that  road,  curved  slabs  of 
stone,  supported  on  four-sided  blocks  of  granite,  giving  one  a 
feeling  of  security,  even  though  they  have  no  parapets.  Korean 
bridges  are  poles  laid  over  a  river,  with  matting  or  brushwood 
covered  with  earth  upon  them,  and  are  usually  full  of  holes. 
These  precarious  structures  had  just  been  replaced  after  the 
summer  rams.     A  mapu  usually  goes  ahead  to  test  their  solid- 
ity.    The  region  is  extremely  fertile,  producing  fine  crops  of 
rice,  wheat,  barley,  millet,  buckwheat,  cotton,  sesamum,  cas- 
tor  oil,  beans,  maize,  tobacco,  capsicums,  ^g^  plant,   peas, 
etc.    But  Russian  and  American  kerosene  is  fast  displacing  the 
vegetable  oils  for  burning,  and  is  producing  the  same  revolu- 
tion in  village  evening  life  which  it  has  effected  in  the  Western 
Islands  of  Scotland.     I  never  saw  a  Korean  hamlet  south  of 
Phyong-yang,  however  far  from  the  main  road,  into  which 
kerosene  had  not  penetrated. 

I  was  obliged  to  halt  for  the  night  when  only  10  //from 
Song-do,  all  the  more  regretfully,  because  the  people  were  un- 
willing to  receive  a  foreigner,  and  the  family  room  which  I 
occupied,  only  8  feet  6  inches  by  6  feet,  v.as  heated  up  to  8.° 
was  poisoned  with  the  smell  of  cakes  of  rotting  beans,  and 
was  so  ahve  with  vermin  of  every  description  that  I  was 
obliged  to  suspend  a  curtain  over  my  bed  to  prevent  them 
irom  falling  upon  it. 

The  next  morning,  in  an  atmosphere  which  idealized  everv- 

hing.  we  reached  Song-do,  or  Kai-song.  now  the  second  city 

in  the  kingdom,  once  the  capital  of  Hon-j3,  one  of  the  three 

kingdoms  which  united  to  form  Korea,  and  the  capital  of 


294 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Korea  five  centuries  ago.  A  city  of  60,000  people,  lying  to 
the  south  of  Sang-dan  San,  with  a  wall  ten  miles  in  circum- 
ference running  irregularly  over  heights,  and  pierced  by 
double-roofed  gateways,  with  a  peaked  and  splintered  ridge 
extending  from  Sang-dan  San  to  the  northeast,  its  higher 
summits  attaining  altitudes  of  from  3,000  to  3,000  feet,  it  has 
a  striking  resemblance  to  tjoul. 

The  great  gate  is  approached  by  an  avenue  of  trees,  and  the 
road  is  lined  with  seun-tjeung-pi,  monuments  to  good  govern- 
ors and  magistrates,  faithful  widows,  and  pious  sons.  A  wide 
street,  its  apparent  width  narrowed  by  two  rows  of  thatched 
booths,  divides  the  city.  It  was  a  icene  of  bustle,  activity, 
and  petty  trade,  something  like  a  fair.  The  women  wear 
white  sheets  gathered  round  their  heads  and  nearly  reaching 
their  feet.  The  street  was  thronged  with  men  in  huge  hats 
and  very  white  clothing,  with  boy  bridegrooms  in  pink  gar- 
ments and  the  quaint  yellow  hats  which  custom  enjoins  for 
several  months  after  marriage,  and  with  mourners  dressed  in 
sackcloth  from  head  to  foot,  the  head  and  shoulders  concealed 
by  peaked  and  scalloped  hats,  the  identity  being  further  dis- 
guised by  two-handled  sackcloth  screens,  held  up  to  their  eyes. 
In  thatched  stalls  on  low  stands  and  on  mats  on  the  ground 
were  all  Korean  necessaries  and  luxuries,  among  which  were 
large  quantities  of  English  piece  goods,  and  hacked  pieces  of 
beef  with  the  blood  in  it,  Korean  killed  meat  being  enough  to 
make  any  one  a  vegetarian.  Goats  -re  killed  by  pulling  them 
to  and  fro  in  a  narrow  stream,  whicli  method  is  said  to  destroy 
the  rank  taste  of  the  flesh ;  dogs  by  twirling  them  in  a  noose 
until  they  are  unconscious,  after  which  they  are  bled,  I  have 
already  inflicted  on  my  readers  an  account  of  the  fate  of  a 
bullock  at  Korean  hands.  It  was  a  busy,  dirty,  poor,  mean 
scene  under  the  hot  sun. 

The  Song-do  inns  are  bad,  and  a  friend  of  Mr.  Yi  kindly 
lent  me  a  house,  partly  in  ruins,  but  with  two  rooms  which 
sheltered  Im  and  myself,  and  in  this  I  spent  two  pleasant  days 


Song-do:  A  Royal  City 


295 

in  lovely  weather,  Mr.  Yi,  who  was  visiting  friends,  escorting 
me  to  the  Song-do  sights,  which  may  be  seen  in  one  morning, 
and  to  pay  visits  in  some  of  the  better-class  houses.     My  quar- 
ters,  though  by  comparison  very  comfortable,  would  not  at 
home  be  considered  fit  for  the  housing  of  a  better-class  cow  ! 
But  Korea  has  a  heavenly  climate  for  much  of  the  year.     The 
squalor,  dust,  and  rubbish  in  my  compound  and  everywhere 
were  inconceivable,  though  the  city  is  rather  a  "  well-to-do  " 
one.     The  water  supply  is  atrocious,  offal  and  refuse  of  all 
kinds  lying  up  to  the  mouths  of  the  wells.     It  says  something 
for  the  security  of  Korea  that  a  foreign  lady  could  safely  live 
in  a  dwelling  up  a  lonely  alley  in  the  heart  of  a  big  city,  with 
no  attendant  but  a  Korean  soldier  knowing  not  a  word  of  Eng- 
lish, who,  had  he  been  so  minded,  might  have  cut  my  throat 
and  decamped  with  my  money,  of  which  he  knew  the  where- 
abouts, neither  my  door  nor  the  compound  having  any  fasten- 
ing ! 

Points  of  interest  in  a  Korean  city  are  few,  and  the  ancient 
capital  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  There  is  a  fine  bronze  bell 
with  curiously  involved  dragons  in  one  of  the  gate  towers,  cast 
five  centuries  ago,  an  archery  ground  with  official  pavilions  on 
a  height  with  a  superb  view,  the  Governor's  yamen,  once 
handsome,  now  ruinous,  with  Japanese  sentries,  a  dismal  tem- 
ple to  Confucius,  and  a  showy  one  to  the  God  of  War.  Out- 
side the  crowd  and  bustle  of  the  city,  reached  by  a  narrow 
path  among  prosperous  ginseng  farms  and  persimmon-em- 
bowered hamlets,  are  the  lonely  remains  of  the  palace  of  the 
Kings  who  reigned  in  Korea  prior  to  the  dynasty  of  which  the 
present  sovereign  is  the  representative,  and  even  in  their  for- 
lornness  they  give  the  impression  that  the  Korean  Kings  were 
much  statelier  monarchs  then  than  now. 

The  remains  consist  of  an  approach  to  the  main  platform  on 
which  the  palace  stood,  by  two  subsidiary  platforms,  the  first 
reached  by  a  nearly  obliterated  set  of  steps.  Four  staircases 
15  feet  wide,  of  thirty  steps  each,  lead  to  a  lofty  artificial 


J 


ill 


il 


I  !l 


l.,-0mmmmlmm 


296 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


m   ! 


platform,  faced  with  hewn  stone  in  great  blocks,  14  feet  high, 
and  by  rough  measurement  846  feet  in  length.  On  the  east 
side  there  are  massive  abutments.  On  the  west  the  platform 
broadens  irregularly.  At  the  entrance,  80  fee^  wide,  at  the 
top  of  the  steps,  there  are  the  bases  of  columns  suggestive  of 
a  very  stately  approach.  The  palace  platform  is  intersected 
by  massive  stone  foundations  of  halls  and  rooms,  some  of  large 
area.  It  is  backed  by  ;i  pit  e-clothed  knoll,  and  is  prettily 
situated  in  an  amphitheatre  of  hills. 

Song-do  as  a  royal  city,  and  as  one  of  the  so-called  for- 
tresses for  the  protection  of  the  capital,  still  retains  many  an- 
cient privileges.  It  is  a  bustling  business  town,  and  a  great 
centre  of  the  grain  trade.  It  has  various  mercantile  guilds 
with  their  places  of  business,  small  shops  built  round  com- 
pounds with  entrance  gates.  It  makes  wooden  shoes,  coarse 
pottery  and  fine  matting,  and  imports  paper,  which  it  manu- 
factures with  sesamum  oil  into  the  oil  paper  for  which  Korea 
is  famous,  and  which  is  made  into  cloaks,  umbrellas,  tobacco- 
pouches,  and  sheets  for  walls  and  floors.  In  answer  to  many 
inquiries,  I  learned  that  trade  had  improved  considerably 
since  the  war,  but  the  native  traders  now  have  to  compete  with 
fourteen  Japanese  shops,  and  to  suffer  the  presence  of  forty 
Japanese  residents. 

I  have  left  until  the  last  the  commodity  for  which  Song-do 
is  famous,  and  which  is  the  chief  source  of  its  prosperity — 
ginseng.  Panax  Ginseng  or  quinquefolia  (?)  is,  as  its  name 
imports,  a  "panacea."  No  one  can  be  in  the  Far  East  for 
many  days  without  hearing  of  this  root  and  its  virtues.  No 
drug  in  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  rivals  with  us  the  estimation 
in  which  this  is  held  by  the  Chinese.  It  is  a  tonic,  a  febri- 
fuge, a  stomachic,  the  very  elixir  of  life,  taken  spasmodically 
or  regularly  in  Chinese  wine  by  most  Chinese  who  can  afford 
it.  It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  articles  which  Korea  ex- 
ports, and  one  great  source  of  its  revenue.  In  the  steamer  in 
which  I  left  Chemulpo  there  was  a  consignment  of  it  worth 


Song-do:  A  Royal  City 


297 

1140,000  But  valuable  as  the  cultivated  root  is,  it  is  nothing 
to  the  value  of  the  wild,  which  grows  in  Northern  Korea,  a 
single  specimen  of  which  has  been  sold  for  £^0  !  It  is  chiefly 
found  in  the  Kang-ge  Mountains ;  but  it  is  rare,  and  the  search 
so  often  ends  in  failure,  that  the  common  people  credit  it  with 
magical  properties,  and  believe  that  only  men  of  pure  lives 
can  find  it.  ^ 

The  ginseng  season  was  at  its  height.  People  talked, 
thought,  and  dreamed  ginseng,  for  the  risks  of  its  six  or  seven 
years  growth  were  over,  and  the  root  was  actually  in  the  fac- 
tory. I  went  to  several  ginseng  farms,  and  also  saw  the  differ- 
ent stages  of  the  manufacturing  process,  and  received  the 
same  impression  as  in  Siberia,  that  if  industry  were  lucrative, 
and  the  Korean  were  sure  of  his  earnings,  he  would  be  an  in- 
dustrious and  even  a  thrifty  person. 

All  round  Song-do  are  carefully  fenced  farms  on  which  gin- 
seng ,s  grown  with  great  care  and  exquisite  neatness  on  beds 
18  inches  wide.  2  feet  high,  and  neatly  bordered  with  slates. 
.   It  IS  sown  in  April,  transplanted  in  the  following  spring,  and 
again  ,n  three  years  into  specially  prepared  ground,  not  re- 
cently cultivated,  and  which  has  not  been  used  for  ginseng 
cu  ture  for  seven  years.     Up  to  tiie  second  year  the  plant  has 
only    wo  leaves.     In  the  fourth  year  it  is  six  inches  high  with 
four  leaves,  standing  out  at  rip  ht  angles  from  the  stalk.     It 
reaches  maturity  in  the  sixth  or  seventh  year.     During  its 
growth  It  IS  sheltered  from  both  wind  and  sun  by  well-made 
reed  roofs  with  blinds,  which  are  raised  or  lowered  as  may  be 
required      When  the  root  is  taken  up  it  is  known  as  "  white 
gmseng.     and  is  bought  by  merchants,  who  get  it  "manufac- 
tured,    about  3 14:  cames  of  the  fresh  root  making  one  rattie 
of     red     or  commercial  ginseng.     The  grower  pays  a  tax  of 
20  cents  per  cam,,  and  the  merchant  16  dollars  a  .^//,>  for  the 
root  as  received  from  the  manufacturer. 

The  annual  time  of  manufacture  depends  on  orders  given 
by  the  Government.     The  growers  and  merchants  make  the 


I ;,;! 


298 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


most  profit  when  the  date  is  early.  Only  two  manufacturers 
are  licensed,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  growers.  The  quan- 
tity to  be  manufactured  is  also  limited.  In  1895  it  was  15,000 
catties  of  red  ginseng  and  3,000  of  "beards."  The  terms 
"beards"  and  "tails"  are  used  to  denote  different  parts  of 
the  root,  which  eventually  has  a  grotesque  resemblance  to  a 
headless  man  I  It  is  possible  that  this  likeness  is  the  source  of 
some  of  the  almost  miraculous  virtues  which  are  attributed  to 
it.  Everything  about  the  factories  is  scrii,  ulously  clean,  and 
would  do  credit  to  European  management.  The  row  of 
houses  used  by  what  we  should  call  the  excisemen  are  well 
built  and  comfortable.  There  are  two  officials  sent  from  Seoul 
by  the  Agricultural  Department  for  the  "  season,"  with  four 
policemen  and  two  attendants,  whose  expenses  are  paid  by  the 
manufacturers,  and  each  step  of  the  manufacture  and  th? 
egress  of  the  workmen  are  carefully  watched.  Mr.  Yi  was 
sent  by  the  Customs  to  make  special  inquiries  in  confiection 
with  the  revenue  derived. 

Ginseng  is  steamed  for  twenty-four  hours  in  large  earthen  jars 
over  iron  pots  built  into  furnaces,  and  is  then  partially  dried 
in  a  room  kept  at  a  high  temperature  by  charcoal.  The  final 
drying  is  effected  by  exposing  the  roots  in  elevated  flat  baskets 
to  the  rays  of  the  bright  winter  sun.  The  human  resemblance 
survives  these  processes,  but  afterwards  the  "  beards "  and 
"tails,"  used  chiefly  in  Korea,  are  cut  off,  and  the  trunk, 
from  3  to  4  inches  long,  looks  like  a  piece  of  clouded  amber. 
These  trunks  are  carefully  picked  over,  and  being  classified 
according  to  size,  are  neatly  packed  in  small  oblong  baskets 
containing  about  five  catties  each,  twelve  or  fourteen  of  these 
being  packed  in  a  basket,  which  is  waterproofed  and  matted, 
and  stamped  and  sealed  by  the  Agricultural  Department  as 
ready  for  exportation.  A  basket,  according  to  quality,  is 
worth  from  ;|li4,ooo  to  $20,000  !  In  a  good  season  the  grower 
makes  about  fifteen  times  his  outlay.  Ginseng  was  a  Royal 
monopoly,  but  times  have  changed.     This  medicine,  which 


Song-do:  A  Royal  City 


299 

has  such  a  high  and  apparently  partially  deserved  reputation 
hroughout  the  Far  East,  does  not  suit  Europeans,  and  is  of 
little  account  with  European  doctors. 

A  Post  Office  had  been  established  in  Song-do  under  Korean 
management,  and  I  not  only  received  but  sent  a  letter,  which 
reached    its   d-.i.ation   safely  I     Buddhism   still  prevails  to 
some  exten<  in  fhi.  My,  and  large  sums  are  expended  upon  the 
services  of  sorcerers,     In  Song-do  I  saw.  what  very  rarely  may 
be  seen  in  -;c(   I  &m\  <  Jsewhere,  a  "  Red  Door."     These  are  a 
very  high  ho.  <  r  -,,.rved  for  rare  instances  of  faithfulness  in 
Widows,  loyalty  m  subjects,  and  piety  in  sons.     When  a  widow 
(almost  invariably  of  the  upper  class)  weeps  ceaselessly  for  her 
husband,  maintains  the  deepest  seclusion,  attends  loyally  to  her 
father-  and  mother-in-law,  and  spends  her  time  in  pious  deeds, 
.the  people  of  the  neighborhood,  proud  of  her  virtues,  repre- 
sent them  to  the  Governor  of  the  province,  who  conveys  their 
reconrmendation  to  the  King,  with  whom  it  rests  to  confer  the 
Red  Door."    The  distinction  is  also  given  to  the  family  of 
an  etnmently  loyal  subject,  who  has  given  his  life  for  the 
King's  life. 

The  case  of  a  son  whose  father  has  reached  a  great  ace  is 
somewhat  different,  and  the  honor  is  more  emphatic  still.    His 
filial   virtue  is  shown  by  such   methods  as  these.     He  eoes 
every  morning  to  his  father's  apartments,  asks  him  how  his 
health  IS.  how  he  has  slept,  what  he  has  eaten  for  breakfast, 
and  how  he  enjoyed  the  meal_if  he  has  any  fancies  for  din- 
ner, and  ,f  he  shall  go  to  the  market  and  buy  him  some  fai 
(the  best  fish  in  Korea),  and  if  he  shall  come  back  and  assist 
h.n»  to  take  a  walk?    The  reader  .vill  observe  how  extremely 
material  the  pious  son's  inquiries  are.     Such  assiduity  con- 
nnued  during  a  course  of  years,  on  being  represented  to  the 
King,  may  receive  the  coveted  red  portal.     In  former  days, 
these  matters  used  to  be  referred  to  the  Suzerain,  the  Emperor 
of  China.     In  Song-do.  as  in  the  villages,  a  straw  fringe  is 
frequently  to  be  seen  stretched  across  a  door,  either  plain  or 


'iji 


mmmm 


'  I 


I   I 


300 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


with  bits  of  charcoal  knotted  into  it.  The  former  denotes  the 
birth  of  a  girl,  the  latter  that  of  a  boy.  A  girl  is  not  specially 
welcome,  nor  is  the  occasion  one  of  festivity,  but  neither  is  it, 
as  in  some  countries,  regarded  as  a  calamity,  although,  if  it 
be  a  firstborn,  the  friends  of  the  father  are  apt  to  write  letters 
of  condolence  to  him,  with  the  consoling  suggestion  that  "the 
next  will  be  a  boy." 


^A  n- 


CHIL-SUNG  MON,  SEVEN  STAR  GATE. 


W 

n 


CHAPTER  ::  XVI 

THE  PHY5NG-YANG  BATTLEFIELD 

/^LORIOUS  weather  favored  my  departure  from  the  an- 
VJ   cen.  Korean  capital.     The  day's  journey  lay  through 
pretty  country,  small  valleys,  and  picturesquely  shaped  huf 
on  which  the  vegetation,  whatever  it  was,  had  turned'to  a  pur 
P  e  as  rich  as  the  English  heather  blossom,  while  the  blue 
feafa^e      Th'  ""T  '""^^''''^'^  ^^e  flaming  reds  of  the  dying 

^fnfl  IT  ^"'  ^'"^  ^"^  ^"^^"'  ^"d  cultivation  was 

altog^her  confined  to  the  valleys.     Pheasants  were  so  abun- 
dant that  the  mapu  pelted  them  out  of  the  cover  by  the  road- 
side    and  wild  ducks  abounded  on  every  stream.     The  one 
really  fine  view  of  the  day  is  from  the  crest  of  a  hill  just  be- 
yond  0-hung-suk  Ju,  where  there  is  a  second  defensive  gate, 
w  th  a  rumous  wall  carried  along  a  ridge  for  some  distance  on 
either  side.     The  masonry  and  the  gate-house  are  fine,  and  the 
view  down  the  wild  valley  beyond  with  its  rich  autumn  color! 
ing  was  almost  grand.     It  was  evident  that  officials  were  ex- 
pected, for  the  road  was  being  repaired  everywhere-that  is, 

roalt  f  "•[""'  '^'"^  ^^'^^^  ^-™  tl^^  banks  and 

roadsides  and  were  being  thrown  into  the  ruts  and  holes  to 

deepen  the  quagmire  which  the  next  rain  would  produce. 
From  four  to  seven  men  were  working  at  each  spade!    A 

fn^L^-7  f  *'l^'"^^^  population  had  turned  out;  for  when 
an  official  of  rank  is  to  travel,  every  family  in  the  district  must 

order.     The  repairs  of  the  roads  and  bridges  devolve  entirely 

on  the  country  people.  ^ 

The  following  day  brought  a  change  of  weather.     My  room 

301 


— .i.iiMwiwm 


302 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


had  no  hot  fluur  and  the  mercury  at  daybreak  was  only  20°  ! 
When  we  started,  a  strong  northwester  was  blowing,  which  in- 
creased to  a  gale  by  noon,  the  same  fierce  gale  in  which  at 
Chemulpo  H.M.S,  Edgar  lost  her  boat  with  forty-seven  men. 
My  pony  and  I  would  have  been  blown  over  a  wretched  bridge 
had  not  four  men  linked  themselves  together  to  support  us ; 
and  later,  on  the  top  of  a  precipice  above  a  river,  a  gust  came 
with  such  force  that  the  animals  refused  to  face  it,  and  one  of 
them  was  as  nearly  lost  as  possible.  By  noon  it  was  impossible 
to  sit  on  our  horses,  and  we  fought  the  storm  on  foot.  When 
Im  lifted  me  from  my  pony  I  fell  down,  and  it  took  several 
men  shouting  with  laughter  to  set  me  on  my  feet  again.  When 
Mr.  Yi  and  I  spoke  to  each  o':her,  our  voices  had  a  bobbery 
clatter,  and  sentences  broke  off  halfway  in  an  insane  giggle.  I 
felt  as  if  there  were  hardly  another  "shot  in  the  locker,"  but 
if  a  traveller  "says  die,"  the  men  lose  all  heart,  so  I  sum- 
moned up  all  my  pluck,  took  a  photograph  after  the  noon  halt, 
and  walked  on  at  a  good  pace. 

But  the  wind,  with  the  mercury  at  26°,  was  awful,  gripping 
the  heart  and  benumbing  the  brain.  I  have  not  felt  anything 
like  it  since  I  encountered  the  "devil  wind"  on  the  Zagros 
heights  in  Persia.  At  some  distance  from  our  destination  Mr. 
Yi,  Im,  and  the  mapu  begged  me  to  halt,  as  they  could  no 
longer  face  it,  though  the  accommodation  for  man  anr'  ■  least 
at  Tol  Maru,  where  we  put  up,  was  the  worst  imaginable,  and 
the  large  village  the  filthiest,  most  squalid,  and  most  absolutely 
poverty-stricken  place  I  saw  in  that  land  of  squalor.  The 
horses  wi  crowded  together,  and  their  baffled  attempts  at 
fighting  were  only  less  hideous  than  the  shouts  and  yells  of  the 
itiapu,  who  were  constantly  being  roused  out  of  a  sound  sleep 
to  separate  them. 

My  room  was  8  feet  by  6,  and  much  occupied  by  the  chat- 
tels of  the  people,  besides  being  alive  with  cockroaches  and 
other  forms  of  horrid  life.  The  dirt  and  discomfort  in  which 
the  peasant  Koreans  live  are  incredible. 


The  Phyong.yang  Battlefield 


303 

An  uninteresting  tract  of  country  succeeded,  and  some  tim. 
was  d  in  threading  long  treeless  valleys  0'^^" 

beds  of  streams,  margined  by  sandy  flats,  inundated  in  sum 
mer,  and  then  covered  chiefly  with  withered  reeds  asters  and 
artem.s.a,  a  belated  aster  every  now  and  the^^t  '  ^^^ 
untimely  mauve  blossom.  All  these  and  the  dry  grasses  and 
weeds  of  the  hillsides  were  being  cut  and  stacked  for  f  .1 
brushwood  having  disappeared'  This  toT t^'d^^t  ^^n 
boys,  who  carry  their  loads  on  wooden  saddles  suited  to  tS 

p.gs  no.  arger  than  English  .erriers,  were  ,o  beten 

One  of  .he  mm  dismal  and  squalid  "  .owns  "  on  ll.is  route 
^  Shur-hung,  a  long  rambling  village  of  nearly  s.ooosoul 
and  a  noagistracy,  buil,  along  the  refuse-covered  Ck  of  a 
bngh  .  shallow  stream.     As  if  the  Crown  official  were  he  upas 
:^:r     jTsZT  'T'T  "  *™^'^  --forlorn,  an  i^^ 

»ho  bows  before  the  .ablet  of  .he  "most  hiy  eaS  "IS 
offers  an  anmial  in  sacrifice  leacner     and 

I     '   n  sI'Tf  " r'''^""-    M-«°«ct,lsofa  ysfalZ 

chari  !rd"'J°7'T"  '""  =°^'"^'  '™""8  -bordinates  n* 
Charge,  and  as  their  tenure  of  office  is  very  brief  thev  re„»rH 

«ree.  one  of  thetn  touched  me  on  .he  should^^astg  :!; 


tn 


!  ; 


f  1 


..^mmmimmmm 


304 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


i 


T 


nationality,  whence  I  came,  and  whither  I  was  going,  not 
quite  politely,  I  thought.  When  I  reached  my  room  a  dozen 
of  them  came  and  gradually  closed  round  my  door,  which  I 
could  not  shut,  standing  almost  within  it.  A  trim  sergeant 
raised  his  cap  to  me,  and  passing  on  to  Mr.  Yi's  room,  asked 
him  where  I  came  from  and  whither  I  was  going,  and  on  hear- 
ing, replied,  "  All  right,"  raised  his  cap  to  me,  and  departed, 
withdrawing  his  men  with  him.  This  was  one  of  several 
domiciliary  visits,  and  though  they  were  usually  very  politely 
made,  they  suggested  the  query  as  to  the  right  to  make  them, 
and  to  whom  the  mastership  in  the  land  belonged.  There,  as 
elsewhere,  though  the  people  hated  the  Japanese  with  an  intense 
hatred,  they  were  obliged  to  admit  that  they  were  very  quiet 
and  paid  for  everything  they  got.  If  the  soldiers  had  not  been 
in  European  clothes,  it  would  not  have  occurred  to  me  to 
think  them  rude  for  crowding  round  my  door. 

A  day's  ride  through  monotonous  country  brought  us  to 
Pong-san,  where  we  halted  in  the  dirtiest  hole  I  had  till  then 
been  in.  As  soon  as  my  den  was  comfortably  warm,  myriads 
of  house  flies,  blackening  the  rafters,  renewed  a  semi-torpid 
existence,  dying  in  heaps  in  the  soup  and  <;urry,  filling  the 
well  of  the  candlestick  with  their  singed  bodies,  and  crawling 
in  hundreds  over  my  face.  Next  came  the  cockroaches  in 
legions,  large  and  small,  torpid  and  active,  followed  by  a  great 
army  of  fleas  and  bugs,  making  life  insupg^ortable.  To  judge 
from  the  significant  sounds  from  the  public  room,  no  one  slept 
all  night,  and  when  I  asked  Mr.  Yi  after  his  welfare  the  next 
morning,  he  uttered  the  one  word  "miserable."  Discomforts 
of  this  nature,  less  or  more,  are  inseparable  from  the  Korean 
inn. 

The  following  day,  at  a  large  village,  we  came  upon  the 
weekly  market.  It  is  usual  to  inquire  regardi.-'g  the  trade  of  a 
district,  and  as  the  result  of  my  inquiries,  I  assert  that 
"trade"  in  the  ordinary  sense  has  no  existence  in  a  great 
part  of  Central  and  Northern  Korea,  i.e.  there  is  no  exchange 


nnti  m 


The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield  305 

of  commrdities  between  one  place  and  another,  no  exports  no 
imports  by  resident  merchants,  and  no  indu  tries  LCvine 

tent    n   Southern  Korea,  and  specially  in  the  province  of 
ChuMa.     Apart  from  Phyong-yang.  «« trade"  does  not    xis 
in  the  region  through  which  I  travelled 

Reasons  for  such  a  state  of  things  may  be  found  in  the  de 
based  coinage,  so  bulky  that  a  pony  can  only  carry  ixo  worth 

We:t;r:  Chtr  'Tu'--'  '-^''''^  facilities' afeX 
VVesten  China  render  business  transactions  easy;  the  general 

nfs  i.  '  ''^'^P:^J"d'^^«i  the  general  insecurity  of  earn- 
ings. Ignorance  absolutely  inconceivable,  and  the  exLence  of 
numerous  guilds  which  possess  practical  monopolies 

Under  Japanese  influence,  however,  the  superb  silver  yen 
has  made  Us  way  slowly  into  the  interior,  and  Ltead  of  ha" 
i"g  to  carry  a  load  of  casA,  as  on  my  former  journey,  or  to  be 
.  placed  .n  great  difficulties  by  the  want  of  it  this  large  silver 
com  was  readily  taken  at  all  the  inns,  although  I  did  not  e  a 
single  specimen  of  the  new  Korean  coinage. 

"  Trade  ••  as  I  became  acquainted  with  it.  is  represented  bv 

Japanese  buyers,  who  visit  tne  small  towns  and  .Ullages  buv^ 

ng  up  nee,  grain,  and  beans,  which  they  forward  tofhe  pom 

for  shipment  to  Japan,  and  by  an  organized  corporltLn  of 

guUds  which  have  been  among  the  curious  features  of  Korea 
There  are  no  shops  in  villages,  and  (e^,  where  there  are 

anvt'hre"  ?'"  T'-    ''  '''  ^"  ^-''  ^^Possibl     rbuy 
any  hing  except  on  the  market-day.  as  no  one  keeps  any  stock 

d  lnesso;?K         ''^""''^  '"^''^^  ''^  -ual  melancto 
dulness  of  a  Korean  village  is  exchanged  for  bustle,  color  and 

leTdi  rtoTe  ol^°r"  '-'''  ''''  ^"  '-  -rni^gtepat 
leading  to  the  officially  appointed  centre  are  thronged  with 

fowls  m  coops,  pigs,  straw  shoes,  straw  hats,  and  wooden 


^ 


306 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


N* 


spoons,  while  the  main  road  has  its  complemtn':  of  merchants, 
i.e.  pedlars,  mostly  fine,  strong,  well-dr  -ssed  nici\,  cither  car- 
rying their  heavy  p.icks  themsi^lves  or  enjploying  porters  or 
bulls  for  the  purpoKt.  These  nuMi  travel  on  regular  circuits  to 
the  village  centres,  and  are  indi-3trio':  ?  and  respectable,  A 
few  put  up  stalls,  spe;i.illy  those  who  sell  :ilks,  gauzes,  cords 
for  girdles,,  dress  shoes,  amber,  buttons,  silks  in  skeins,  s.nall 
'vurrors,  tobacco-pouches,  dress  combss  cf  tortoii:«;  shell  for 
."sen's  irjpkuots,  t?pe  girdles  for  trousers,  boxes  with  mirror 
top'-,  a!;i  rhe  like.  But  most  of  the  articles,  from  which  one 
leanii  2  good  deal  about  the  necessaries  and  luxuries  required 
by  Cii  Korean,  are  exposed  for  sale  on  low  tables  or  on  mats 
on  the  ground,  the  merchant  giving  the  occupant  of  the 
house  before  which  he  camps  a  few  cash  ioi  the  accommoda- 
tion. 

On  such  tables  are  sticks  of  pulled  candy  as  thick  as  an 
arm,  some  of  it  stuffed  with  sesamum  seeds,  a  sweetmeat  sold 
in  enormous  quantities,  and  piece  goods,  shirtings  of  Japanese 
and  English  make,  Victoria  lawns,  hempen  cloth,  Turkey-red 
cottons,  Korean  flimsy  silks,  dyes,  chiefly  aniline,  which  are 
sold  in  great  quantities,  together  with  saff"ron,  indigo,  and 
Chinese  Prussian  blue.  On  these  also  are  exposed  long  pipes, 
contraband  in  the  capital,  and  Japanese  cigarettes,  coming  into 
great  favor  with  young  men  and  boys,  with  leather  courier 
bags  and  lucifer  matches  nom  the  same  country,  wooden 
combs,  hairpins  with  tinsel  heads,  and,  such  is  the  march  of 
ideas,  purses  for  silver  !  Paper,  the  best  of  the  Korean  man- 
ufactures, in  its  finer  qualities  produced  in  Chul-la  Do,  is  hon- 
ored by  stalls.  Every  kind  is  purchasable  in  these  markets, 
from  the  beautiful,  translucent,  buff,  oiled  paper,  nearly  equal 
to  vellum  in  appearance  and  tenacity,  used  for  the  floors  of 
middle-  and  upper-class  houses,  and  the  sto\ :  ^er  for  cover- 
ing walls,  to  the  thin,  strong  film  for  writit^^  on,  and  a  beau- 
tiful fabi-.  1  sort  of  frothy  gau^ie,  lor  -fping  up  delicate 
fabrics,  a.      11  as  the  coarse  fibrous  m;;t.  ,ial,  used  for  covering 


life 


The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield 


307 
heavy  packages,  and   intermediate  grades    innlipH  t.  . 

coars  .  narrow  cotton  cloth  of  Korean  manufacture,  '2  mu, 

piles  of  phea'sa,,^,  S^h.  do^    57^^"""  "'  '"*  "'" 
selling  ae  six  for  a  «,„7  i     .    T    ^       °"^'  Sorgeous  birds, 

gla.e  rude,,  appHed.   s  J ^rs  Tnd''    ^^''e  .fij^r 

grain  and  pulse.  aL  ^Xfar.' fH  .'."''  ''""""='"  f"' 
hold  a  „,a,,  .„;  0,  »C  e  a'b  s  Sd'Ttrr"  '° 
these  jars,  were  in  great  request  fnrT.  '  '"'"" 

cupied,   the  „,e„   i„   H-^       ' '"  ""^  f*^^"' "fW  was  oc- 

l>ea?  of%a::an;bC,'e^"t    ::»- ;  "--^"f' «  S-t 

aside  in  these  iars  in  hr.no  V  '  ^^'^''  ^^^^S  laid 

iiicse  jars  in  brine,  form  one  ereat  artirl*.  r.f  «  ir 
peasant's  winter  diet  ^'^  ^  Korean 

Korean  existence,  wer;  tlZu.'u"''.'^.''^''  "^"««"'«  of 


i 


im 


but  bus 


iiness  was  very  dull,  and 


3o8 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


the  crowds  of  people  were  nearly  as  quiet  as  the  gentle  bulls 
which  stood  hour  after  hour  among  them.  Late  in  the  after- 
noon, the  pedlars  packed  up  their  wares  and  departed  en  route 
for  the  next  centre,  and  a  good  deal  of  hard  drinking  closed 
the  day.  I  have  been  thus  minute  in  my  description  because 
the  peripatetic  merchant  really  represents  the  fashion  of 
Korean  trade,  and  the  wares  which  are  brought  to  market  are 
both  the  necessaries  and  luxuries  of  Korean  existence. 

The  reader  will  agree  with  me  that,  except  for  a  certain 
amount  of  insight  into  Korean  customs  which  can  only  be 
gained  by  mixing  freely  with  Koreans,  the  journey  from  Seoul 
to  Phyong-yang  tends  to  monotony,  though  at  the  time  Mr. 
Yi's  brightness,  intelligence,  sense  of  fun,  and  unvarying  good- 
nature made  it  very  pleasant.  Among  the  few  features  of  in- 
terest on  the  road  are  the  "  Hill  Towns,"  of  which  three  are 
striking  objects,  specially  one  on  the  hill  opposite  to  the 
magistracy  of  Pyeng-san,  the  hilltop  being  surrounded  by  a 
battlemented  wall  two  miles  in  circuit,  enclosing  a  tangled 
thicket  containing  a  few  hovels  and  the  remains  of  some 
granaries.  Unwalled  towns  are  supposed  to  possess  such 
strongholds,  with  stores  of  rice  and  soy,  as  refuge-  in  times 
of  invasion  or  rebellion,  but  as  they  have  not  been  required 
for  three  centuries,  they  are  now  ruinous.  The  one  on  a  high 
hill  above  Sai-nam,  where  the  last  Chinese  gate  occurs,  is  im- 
posing from  its  fine  gateway  and  the  extent  of  ground  it  en- 
closes. 

Two  days  before  reaching  Phyong-yang  we  crossed  the  high- 
est pass  on  the  road,  and  by  a  glen  wooded  with  such  decid- 
uous trees,  shrubs,  and  trailers  as  ash,  elaeagnus,  euonymus, 
horn-beam,  oak,  lime,  Acanthopanax  ricinifolia,  actinidia  with 
scarlet  berries,  clematis,  Ampelopsis  Veitchii,  etc.,  descended 
to  the  valley  of  the  Nam-chhon,  a  broad  but  shallow  stream 
which  joins  the  Tai-dong.  On  the  right  bank,  where  the 
stream,  crossed  by  a  dilapidated  bridge,  is  128  yards  wide,  the 
town  of  Whang  Ju  is  picturesquely  situated,  36  //  from  the  sea, 


The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield  309 

aZ,?.u       ""^y^-  '"<:'«»«  the  town,  and  being  carried 
a  ong  rte  verge  of  the  cliff  and  over  .he  do™  and  nps  of  he 

.'  «ivt^ieV%r:  k"^  °t"^'-  " ""'  >  »'«*■ 

ractive  v.ew.    The  Korean  sky  was  ae  its  Uuest,  and  (he  wind- 

e  Cjt>,r,  ^"".  '"  «""■"-  "-  and  .here  Zgh 
parkleonfrj  1/     "  '"  "'"'"'  ''  '''"=•  ""^  .he  brok™ 

r^tnXr/^r^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

and  grouped  ui  the  handsome  Water  Gate,  were  ^number  nf' 

Of  reedswi.h  a  c^askLhe'dt^Z  ."^^Tn^C^Ltt 
the  rumons  s.a.e  of  .he  walls  and  .owers  ionid  norbe  see     ' 

wllh?/  Jr'  °'!T"'"'  "•  ™  '^  "='"6  the  firs,  place  l".  .w 
which  had  suffered  from  .he  ravages  of  recent  war.    There  Z 

d  cea         •  ?^"'"'^'""  ""PPe"''!  has  been  enongV,l're 
duce  a  flonnshmg  .own  wi.h  an  estimated  popnla.ion  of  ,o  „" 

desoC  "tZ'  '"'  T'  ""''  '"'°  ^  "'P'^-We  scene  of 
desolation.  There  were  heaps  of  ruins,  some  blackened  bv 
fie,  others  where  the  houses  had  apparently  collapse  ".r  „f 
a  heap,"  w.th  posts  and  rafters  s.icki„g  ou.  of  i.  Thereat 
arge  areas  of  nothing  bu.  .his  and  streets  of  de^^irrel  h"  se 
»adde    ye.,  w„h  doors  and  windows  gone  for  .he  b  vou  cfiS 

were   tinrr',:"'  '"""  "'"'  '"""^^  "■""  -lis  alon 
were  standinj.     In  some  parts  there  were  houses  with  windows 

gone  and  torn  paper  waving  from  .heir  walls,  and    hen  tr 
^a,«  an  tnhabtted  h°"se  stood  solitary  among  the  desertefor 
d«troyed,  emphasizing  the  desol^ion!    Som'e  of  ,he  d«,™ 
t.o„  was  wrought  by  .he  Chinese,  some  by  ,he  Japan^^nd 


i 


i'  ji 


■ji ' 


t' 

■f'P    t 


3»o  Koiea  and  Her  Neighbors 

much  resulted  from  the  terrified  flight  of  more  than  20,000  of 
the  inhabitants.  ' 

North  of  Whang  Ju  are  rich  nl^V-  .f  productive,  stoneless 
red  a,luv,um  extending  t  ....us  tne  J-do.g  for' nearl  "o 
m.les.  On  these  there  were  villages  partly  burned  and  partly 
depopulated  and  ruinous,  and  tracts  of  the  superb  soil  had 
passed  out  of  cultivation  owing  to  the  flight  of  the  cultivators, 
and  there  was  a  total  absence  of  beasts,  the  splendid  bulls  of 
the  region  having  perished  under  their  loads  .«  rouf,  for  Man- 
churia. 

It  was  a  dreary  journey  that  day  through  partially  destroyed 
villages,  relapsing  plains,  and  slopes  denuded  of  every  stick 
which  could  be  burned.  There  were  no  wayfarers  on  the 
roads,  no  movement  of  any  dnd,  and  as  it  grew  dusl-  the 
J/J  were  afraid  of  tigers  and  robbers,  and  we  halted  iur  the 
night  at  the  wretched  hamlet  of  Ko-moun  Tari.  where  I  ob- 
tamed  .  room  with  delay  and  difficulty,  partly  ow.ng  to  the 
unw,ll,ngner.s  of  the  people  to  receive  a  foreigner.  They  had 
sufl-ered  enough  from  foreigners,  truly  !  ^ 

The  cone  Uuling  day's  march  was  through  a  pleasant  country, 
though  denuded  of  trees,  and  the  appro  .h  to  a  great  city  wa 
denoted  by  the  number  of  villa,  .s,  d^mon  shrines'  and  refrelh 
ment  booths    .  the  road,  the     creased  t   ,ffic.  and  eventually, 
by  a  long  avenue  of  stone  tablets,  some  of  them  under  highly 
^of/sc    eirst'  "'"''"'  '''  "'^'"^  °'  Pl^y5ng-yang  officials 
The  first  view  of  Phyong-yang  delighted  me.     The  city  has 
a  magnificent  situation,  taken  advr.tape  of  with  much  "kill, 
and  at  a  distance  merits  fhe  epuMet  "  imi>osing."     It  was  a 
g  orious  afternoon.     All  „      lov.     .nges  which  g    lie  the  rich 
plain  through  which  the  T     do.      .inds  were  blue  and  vi.  'et, 
melting  into  a  blue  haze,  cue  crystal  waters  of  the     ver  wer^ 
bluer  st.ll,  brown-sailed  boats  drifted  lazily  with  the  stream, 
and  above  n  the  gray  mass  of  the  city  rose  into  a  dome  of  un! 
clouded  blue. 


The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield  31! 

It  Is  built  on  lofty  ground  rising  abruptly  from  the  river, 
above  which  a  fine  wall  climbs  picturesquely  over  irregular, 
but  always  ascending  altitudes,  till  it  is  lost  amcmg  the  pines 
of  a  h.Il  which  overhangs  the  Tai-dong.  The  great  double- 
roofed  Ta.-dong  Alon  (river  gate),  decorated  pavilions  on  the 
walls,  the  massive  curled  roofs  of  the  Governor's >...,«.«,  a  large 
Buddhjst  monastery  and  temple  on  a  height,  and  a  fine  temple 
to  the  God  of  ar,  prominent  objects  from  a  distance,  prepare 
one  for  something  quite  apart  from  the  ordinary  meanness  of 
a  Korean  city. 

Crossing  the  clear  flashing  waters  of  the  Tai-dong  with  our 
pomes  ,n  a  crowded  ferry-boat,  we  found  ourselves  in  the  slush 
of  the  dark  Water  Gate,  at  all  hours  of  the  day  crowded  with 
water-earners.     There  are  no  wells  in  the  city,  the  reason  as- 
signed for  the  deficiency  being  that  the  walls  enclose  a  boat- 
shaped  area,  and  that  the  digging  of  wells  would  cause  the 
boat  to  sink  !     The  w.   er  is  carried  almost  entirely  in  Ameri- 
can kerosene  tins.     I  lodged  at  the  houseof  a  b.oker,  and  had 
nice  clean  rooms  for  myself  and  Im,  quite  quiet,  and  with  a 
separate  access  from  the  street.     It  was  truly  a  luxury  to  have 
roof  walls,  and  floor  p.pered  with  thick  oiled  paper  much  re- 
sembling varnished  oak,  but  there  was  no  hot  floor,  and  I  had 
to  rely   or  warmth  solely  on  the  "  fire  bowl." 

Taking  a  ost  diverting  boy  as  my  -ude,  I  went  outside 
the  city  wall,  through  some  farming  country  to  a  Korean  house 
»n  a  very  tumhle-to-pieces  compound,  whic].  ',..  insisted  was 
the  dwelling  ot  the  American  nussionaries;  but  I  only  found 
a  Korean  family,  and  there  were  no  traces  of  foreign  occu- 
pation ,n  glass  panes  let  into  the  paper  of  the  windows  and 
doors.  Nothing  daunted,  the  boy  pulled  me  through  a  smaller 
compound,  opened  a  door,  n,v1  pushed  me  into  ^  hat  was  mani- 
fes  ly  posing  as  a  foreign  roo.n.  gave  me  a  chair,  took  one  him- 
sen,  and  ottered  me  a  cigarette  ! 

I  had^eac    d  the  right  place.     It  was  a  very  rough  Korean 
room,  about  the  length  and  width  of  a  N.W.  Railway  saloon 


3^2  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Irti  L    f       r      '^'  '"^  ^"""^  '"^^«"'''»'  ^s  'veil  as  a  few 
articles  of  male  apparel  hanging  on  the  mud  walls.     I  wai  ed 

aTwei  as  v".  m"'  ""^  ^''^"^^  ''  ^^P-^-«  being  for    Ju 

tTon  which  m'  '■"''''^'  '^  "'^  "^'^'^•"'  imagining  fhe  d  vo^ 
tion  which  could  sustain  educated  men  year  after  year  in  n 
surroundings,  and  then  thi.v  ,.o«,-  •    i  •,  ^  *"*^" 

a  most  pleasant  events     717  '"      '"°"''^'  '"'  ""  ''"^ 
i^       am  evening,     i  shall  say  more  of  tlieni  hf«>r      Tt 

the  b^ai  of  ih^f  ■     '™  ?'  '"""""^  ">™'K''  "•'  "ight  I  beard 
.ninH?  I"  '^'""  ''"  «""'*''  "'"  '""y  Korean  „i„,er  dav  h 

p«r«,„s  b„.  Mr.  vi:j;:;pr;zu';rar: 

a«r„  wi.1?       •■""  '"•'"'  '""  ""--i  "i'"  '=<i  °us  iter 

field  Ldert;:  i^ gXjr  '"'"*  *-'  ""  ""  ''^"'=- 

bes?"buraL'" /r""""""  ""^  ""^"""«  """'«i  »'  '•«  very 

try    I  '  '°  '""'^Plate.-a  prosperous  oily  of 

So  oo      „h,b,.a„,s  reduced  to  decay  and    5,„oo_f„ 'r  Lbs 
o    ,,s  houses  destroyed,  streets  and  alleys  chked  .hhruts 
hi    slopes  and  vales  once  thick  with  Korean  crowded  hi  ! 
steads,  covered   mth  gaunt  hideous  remains-fragments  of 

wMch"r:t'  r  ^?'  *""'  '=^™"'^»'  -definite Tc";  „ 

s"      woLe  rooff  "!,      7  '"  ->pic.nresq„e  confusion-'and 
ouii  worse,  roofs  and  wa  s  stanr?-"    r   k„»  j  j     .    . 

oil  ~  "rtna  siana     ',  Dut  doors  and  windnwo 

put  out.     Everywhere  there  were  the  same  scenes   miles  of 
•hem,   and  very   much  of  .he  desol..ion  was  cLr^iand 


The  Phyong.yang  Battlefield 


313 

blackened,  shapeless,  hideous,  hopeless    und«r  ti, 
sunlight.  ""peiess,  under  the  mocking 

wreck  and  ruin  was  brmiohti  °'"^'''' ""'^  ^"  this 

those  who  pro   ss^to  Jfill'.         "°'  ^^  '"^"^'^^'  ^^'  ^V 
and   reform       t   h.H         ,    ?i   ^"^  '°  «'""  '^"  independence 

"  -.>:;U)  dfd  Sn  Lrs  !°  ht  '"^^"  ^f  ^^  ^'^' 
turned.     Some  of  H.^c«  .    t    '^'''^^"S'     hence  many  had  re- 

•heir  „ay  aTo^^.^rea  Xl^ JS r/"=  "''''"» 
-igh.  lead  .hem  .0  the  sL  s  „te '°  1  h  '"'''"='"">"'  "'l>'<^'' 
once  exisied  :  and  her,  ,„T  !.  """=""  "'^X  kne"  of  home 

WHS  and  roof  sTan     ^     ;  r^d  :r"d™- 'j  '""""  '^^'' 

woodwork  and  often  ,S'  Z  r"", ""'  °"'  "'^  P"''"  »"<1 
■  fires  on  hiuse  1)00^  lealf  ,V°^t  "''"  '°'  '"'^'  "'  ''«'>'«' 
took  fire  and  p  She'd  T,!  ^™  ^'■"'"«'  "''™  'h^  ho"«= 
fugitive,  during  rteweel^aLn,''"?"''"''  '"'  "'  ">' 
Mr.  Moffe,..  house  ,  ^o  :ol"  ^'"f : '^''"'8  ""  ""n, 
"ritlen  nroiest  th^  w,L-      1      '  ^""°"Sl>  his  servant  made  a 

or  officeru^de^  t'^I  ^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  presence 
most  prosperous  city  in  Korea  ^d"  ''^77  ''  T 
results  of  war  in  the  "green  tree  "  ZZ\  [         ^'^  ^^'^ 

"dry"?  green  tree,    what  must  they  be  in  the 

During  the  subsequent  ocmmunn  .1  t 
Laved  wen,  and  all  Ire  ob  Zed  ,n  t  '^'"'"l  '"^'^  '^- 
hood  were  ,cr„„,,lously  mfd  fo^  ,  1T"""'u""«'''*'- 
haled  ihem,  they  adraitteH  M  1,  .  .  *■  "'  ""^  P«°Pl» 
preserved,  and  .hey t  1  2,"".  ""'  "^^  "'""  "'"'  >«'" 
drawa,  .hey  „„,„I  sZ22Z^2TJ'''  °"  ''^''  "'"- 
men.  of  Koreans  drilled  and  armeTbv.hef  '"'"'"'•  '  ''«'' 
Lad  already  .eg„„  .o  roh  and  C.^'.^^  X':rd^r,;t 


3H 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


civil  authorities.  Tlie  main  street  on  my  second  visit  had  as- 
sumed a  bustling  appearance.  There  was  much  building  up 
and  pulling  down,  for  Japanese  traders  had  obtained  all  the 
eligible  business  sites,  and  were  transforming  the  small,  dark, 
low,  Korean  shops  into  large,  light,  airy,  dainty  Japanese  erec- 
tions, well  stocked  with  Japanese  goods,  and  specially  with 
kerosene  lamps  of  every  pattern  and  price,  the  Defries  and 
Hinckes  patents  being  unblushingly  infringed. 

Phyong-yang  has  a  truly  beautiful  situation  on  the  right  or 
north  bank  of  the  clear,  bright  Tai-dong,  400  yards  wide  at 
the  ferry.  It  occupies  an  undulating  plateau,  and  its  wall, 
parallel  for  two  miles  and  a  half,  rises  from  the  river  level  at 
the  stately  Water  Gate,  and  following  its  windings,  mounts  es- 
carped hills  to  a  height  of  over  400  feet,  turning  westwards  at 
the  crest  of  the  cliff  at  a  sharp  angle  marked  by  a  pavilion, 
one  of  several,  and  follows  the  western  ridge  of  the  plateau, 
where  it  falls  steeply  down  to  a  fertile  rolling  plain  where  the 
one  real  battle  of  the  late  war  was  fought. 

This  wall,  which  is  in  excellent  repair,  is  a  loopholed  and 
battlemented  structure,  20  feet  high,  pierced  by  several  gates 
with  gate  towers.     The  city,  large  as  it  was,  was  once  much 
larger,  for  the  old  wall  on  the  west  side  encloses  a  far  larger 
area  than  the  modern  one.    The  walk  over  the  grassy  undu- 
lations within  the  wall  and  up  to  the  northern  pine-clothed 
summit  is  entrancing,  and  the  views,  even  in  winter,  are  ex- 
quisite—eastwards over  a  rich  plain  to  the  mountains  through 
which  the  Tai-dong  cuts  its  way,  or  northwest  to  one  of  its 
affluents  and  the  great  battlefield  over  which  in  1593  the  joint 
forces  of  Ciiinese  and  Koreans  poured  to  recover  Phyong-yang 
from  the  Japanese,  or  seawards  where  the  clear  bright  waters 
wind  through  fertile  and  populous  cou-nry,  or  the  hilly  area 
within  the  walls  where  pine-clothed  knolls  conceal  the  devas- 
tations, and  the  Governor's  yame7i,  temples,  and  monasteries 
make  a  goodly  show. 
Between  the  city  and  the  Chinese  frontier  is  the  largest  and 


The  Phyong.yang  Battlefield  315 

richest  plain  in  Korea;  to  the  east  where  the  violet  shadows 
lay  are  the  valleys  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Tai-dong.  rich 
in  silk,  iron,  and  cotton,  while  within  10  miles  there  are  at 
least  five  coal-mines/  and  for  all  produce  there  is  easy  com- 
munication with  the  sea.  36  miles  distant,  for  vessels  of  light 
draught   by  means  of  the  river  which  flows  below  the  city 
wall.     Timber  is  rafted  down  the  Tai-dong  in  summer.     The 
Peking  road,  which  I  had  followed  thus  far.  and  which  for 
centuries  has  linked  Phyong-yang  with  the  outer  world  and 
the  capital,  is  another  element  in  the  former  prosperity  of  the 
city.     It  was  to  photograph  for  the  widow  and  family  of  Gen- 
er^  Tso  of  Mukden,  the  commander  of  the  best-disciplined 
and  best-equipped  cavalry  brigade  in  the  Chinese  army   the 
scenes  connected  with  his  last  days  and  death  that  I  visited 
the  hill  within  the  wall. 

The  river  wall  of  Phyong-yang.  after  2  miles  of  an  undulat- 
ing  ascent  turns  sharply  at  a  pavilion,  outside  of  which  the 
,  ground  falls  precipitously,  to  rise  again  in  a  knife-like  ridge 
the  three  highest  points  of  which  are  crowned  with  Chinese 
forts.  From  this  pavilion  the  wall,  following  the  lie  of  the 
hill,  slopes  rapidly  down  to  a  very  picturesque  and  narrow 
gate  the  Chtl-sung  Man  or  Seven  Star  Gate,  after  which  it 
trends  in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  the  Potong  Mdn. 

•There  are  five  coal-mines  at  distances  varying  from  10(030/1  from 
P^iyongyang,  those  of  Yang-tang.  ,5  /,  away,  producing  the  be  t  qluh" 
With  nch  iron  ore  close  to  the  river  bank  at  Kai  Chhon,  about  1  /.off 
he  elements  .0    prosperity  are  ready  to  hand.     The  «  coalowners  ••  Iv^' 
no  proper  apphances  for  working  the  coal,  relying  chiefly  on  Ko  ean 
axes,  and  the  "  output "  is  very  small.     Much  money  has  been  spen    ," 
trj-u.-g  to  get  the  coal,  and  in  two  mines  they  cannot'proceed  anytrth 
wuh  the,r  present  tools.     The  difficulties  of  transport  L  great,  and  the  e 
no  demand  for  any  quantity  in  Phyong-yang  itself,  bul  the  mine  a  is 
here  .„  abundance  and  of  good  quality,  and  only  aw'aits  capitaT.^  1      ! 
terpnse.    A  tax  of  5  per  cent,  is  levied  on  all  coal  sent  away  from  the 
Zi;^::t.r'  '^  "^^  ^''  only  63.  tons,  value/at  rd^L: 


■ .!!  .\ 


I 


1:1 


i.  - 


3i6 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


|!|'  :i 


In  the  pine  wood,  at  the  highest  part  of  the  angle  formed 
by  the  wall,  General  Tso  had  built  three  mud  forts  or  camps 
with  walls  ID  feet  high.     The  ground  under  the  trees  is  dotted 
with  the  stone-lined  cooking  holes  of  his  men,  blackened  with 
the  smoke  of  their  last  fires.     On  the  afternoon  of  the  isth  of 
September,  1894,  General  Tso  and  his  force,  which  mustered 
5, 000  men  when  it  left  Mukden,  but  must  have  I, en  greatly 
diminished  by  desertion  and  death,  made  his. fatal  sally,  pass- 
ing through  the  Chil-sung  Man  and  down  the  steep  zigzag  de- 
scent below  it  to  the  plain,  meeting  his  death  probably  within 
300  yards  of  the  gate.     Tlie  Koreans  say  that  some  of  his  men 
took  up  the  body,  but  were  shot  by  the  Japanese  while  remov- 
ing it,  and  that  it  was  lost  in  the  slaughter  which  ensued.     A 
neat  obelisk,  railed  round,  was  erected  by  the  Japanese  at  the 
supposed  spot,  bearing  on  one  face  the  inscription  :— 

Tso  Pao-kuei,  commander-in-chief  of  the  Feng-tien  division.     Place  of 
death. 

And  on  the  other 

Killed  while  fighting  with  the  Japanese  troops  at  Phyong-yang. 
A  graceful  tribute  to  their  ablest  foe. 

General  Tso's  troops,  demoralized  by  his  death,  sought 
refuge  everywhere  from  the  deadly  fire  of  the  Japanese,  a  part 
flying  back  to  their  forts  within  the  wall,  while  many,  prob- 
ably blinded  and  desperate,  rode  along  the  pine  woods  which 
densely  cover  the  broken  ground  outside,  by  a  path  along  a 
wide  dry  moat,  which,  three  weeks  later,  when  Mr.  Moffett 
returned,  was  piled  with  the  dead  bodies  of  their  horses. 

In  the  bright  moonlight  night  which  followed  that  day,  the 
Japanese  stormed  and  took  by  assault  the  three  Chinese  forts 
on  the  three  summits  of  the  ridge,  which  were  the  key  of  the 
position,  enabling  them  to  throw  their  shell  into  the  Chinese 
forts  and  camps  within  the  wall.  The  beautiful  pavilion  at 
the  angle  of  the  wall  is  much  shattered,  and  big  fragments  of 
shell  are  embedded  in  its  pillars  and  richly  carved  woodwork. 


The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield  317 

So  desperately  hurried  was  the  flight  of  the  vanquished  from 
the  last  fort  which  held  out.  that  they  were  mown  down  in 
numbers  as  they  ran  down  the  steep  hill,  falling  face  foremost 
with  their  outstretched  hands  clutching  the  earth 

All  was  then  lost,  and  why  that  doomed  army,  numbering 
then  perhaps  12,000  men,  did  not  surrender  unconditionally  I 
cannot  imagine.  During  the  night,  abandoning  gunsand  all  war 
material,  the  remains  of  Tso's  brigade  and  all  the   infantry 
and  unwounded  men  passed  through  the  deserted  and  silent 
cty,  surged  out  of  the  Poiong  Man,  crossed  a  shallow  stream 
and  emerged  upon  a  plain  girdled  by  low  hills,  and  intersected 
by  the  Peking  road,  the  eastern  extremity  being  occupied  by 
some  Chinese  forts  and  breastworks.     Tso's  cavalry  attempted 
to  cross  the  plain  and  gain  the  shelter  of  some  low  hills,  while 
great  numbers  of  the  infantry  took  to  the  Peking  road 

ThI  battTp^/ •'"'  "'■'''"'"  never  be  accurately  known, 
llie  battle  of  Phyong-yang  was  lost  and  won  when  the  forts 

sacre.     Before  the  morning,  this  force,  the  floiver  of  the  Chi- 

escaped  never  reappearn,g  as  an  organised  body.  It  i,  esti- 
mated Aat  from  .,000  to  4,000  men  were  skin,  with  hou- 
sands  .f  horses  and  bulls,  *e  cavalry  being  li.e  ally  mow„ 
dow.         hundreds,  and  lying,  „,„  ,„d  hoL,  heap'ed   ..  to 

scribed  ,h        ^°''"''  ""'°  "^^  *"=  «"«  ''^k'  later,  de 
sc   bed  the  scene  even  then  as  one  of  "  indescribable  horror  " 

St,l    there  were  "  mounds  "  of  men  and  horses  stiffened  in  the 

from  the  ^Ue  above  them.  There  were  blackened  corpses  in 
hund^ds  ly,ng  along  the  Peking  ro>.d,  ditches  filled  up  wi  h 
bod.es  of  men  and  animals,  fields  sprinkled  with  the,!,  and 
nfl  s,  muskets,  paper    umbrellas,   fans,   coats,   hat,,     word, 

could  be  cast  away  „  a  desperate  High,  strewing  the  ground. 


<:  ~il 


3'8 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Numbers  of  the  wounded  crept  into  the  deserted  houses  and 
died  there,  some  of  the  bodies  showing  indications  of  suicide 
from  agony,  and  throughout  this  mass  of  human  relics  which 
lay  blackening  and  festering  in  the  hot  sun,  dogs,  left  behind 
by  their  owners,  were  holding  high  carnival.  Even  in  my 
walks  over  the  battlefield,  though  the  grain  of  another  year 
had  ripened  upon  it,  I  saw  human  skulls,  spines  with  ribs, 
spines  with  the  pelvis  attached,  arms  and  hands,  h;  ;,  belts, 
and  scabbards. 

On  a  lofty  knoll  within  the  wall,  the  Japanese  have  erected 
a  fine  monolith  to  the  memory  of  the  i68  men  they  lost. 
They  turned  the  temple  of  the  God  of  War  into  a  hospital, 
and  there,  cela  va  sans  dire,  their  wounded  were  admirably 
treated,  and  in  another  building  the  Chinese  wounded  were 
carefully  attended  to,  though  naturally  not  till  many  of  them 
had  died  of  their  wounds  on  the  battlefield.  A  ghastly  ret- 
ribution followed  the  neglect  to  bury  the  Chinese  dead,  for 
typhus  fever  broke  out,  and  its  ravages  among  the  Japanese 
troops  may  be  partially  estimated  by  the  long  lines  of  graves 
in  the  military  cemetery  at  Chemulpo. 

Outside  the  wall,  in  beautifully  broken  ground,  roughly 
wooded  with  the  Pinus  sinensis,  there  are  still  bullets  in  the 
branches,  many  of  which  were  splintered  by  the  iron  hail,  and 
the  temple  at  the  tomb  of  Kit-ze,  the  founder  of  Korean  civ- 
ilization, must  have  been  the  centre  of  a  deadly  fight,  for  its 
woodwork  is  riddled  with  bullets  and  damaged  by  shell,  and 
on  its  floor  are  great  dark  stains,  where,  when  the  fight  was 
over,  the  Japanese  wounded  lay  in  pools  of  blood. 

At  some  points,  specially  at  the  mud  forts  by  the  ferry,  the 
Chinese  made  a  very  determined  stand  for  ten  hours,  so  that 
the  Japanese  troops  wavered,  and  were  only  recovered  by  a 
gallant  dash  made  by  General  Oshima.  Probably  the  battle 
of  Phyong-yang  decided  the  fate  of  the  campaign. 

Mr.  Yi  found  an  old  book  in  eighteen  vols,  for  sale,  which 
gives  a  history  of  this  city.     Most  Korean  matters  are  lost  in 


1        •  (a     . 


i  houses  and 
ns  of  suicide 
relics  wliich 
,  left  behind 
Even  in  my 
mother  year 
!s  with  ribs, 
,  ha  s,  belts, 

have  erected 
n  they  lost, 
o  a  hospital, 
e  admirably 
ounded  were 
any  of  them 
.  ghastly  ret- 
se  dead,  for 
he  Japanese 
les  of  graves 

nd,  roughly 
lullets  in  the 
on  hail,  and 
Korean  civ- 
fight,  for  its 
>y  shell,  and 
he  fight  was 

le  ferry,  the 
3urs,  so  that 
overed  by  a 
ly  the  battle 

sale,  which 
s  are  lost  in 


w 

N 
O 

a 
o 


ft! 

< 

< 


i 


m4 


I'  «fi 


The  Phyong-yang  Battlefield  319 

obscurity  after  one  or  two  centuries,  but  the  story  of  Phyong- 
yang  takes  a  bold  baclcward  leap  and  deals  fearlessly  with  the 
events  of  centur.es  ..  c.  Kit-ze,  whose  fine  reputed  tomb  lul 
mples  an  the  wood  are  still  regarded  with  so  Lch  reverence 
that  a  stone  tablet  on  the  road  below  warns  equestrians  to  dis- 
mount in  passing  so  sacred  a  place,  and  who  is  said  to  have 
emigrated  from  China  in  „.3  B.c.,and  to  have  founded  a 
dynasty  which  lasted  for  seven  centuries,  made  Phyong-yang 
hiscapral      T^ie  temple  at  his  reputed  grave,  though  Kf 

la  t  he"  '"  ''""'f '  "P"'^'  ^"'^  '''  ^'^^  ^--^'ons  have 
lately  been  renovated,  a  phenomenon  in  Korea.     Near  the  citv 

•1.    .'  .Tu"\^.   °^  ^'"'^  "measurement  which  he  introduced 
•Uus  rated  by  ditches  and  paths  cut,  it  is  said,  by  himse'r     ' 
Ihe  tenyle  to  the  God  of  War  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  is  per- 
haps the  finest  in  Korea.     Frescoes,  as  in  the  temple  to  the 
me  god  outside  the  South  Gate  of  Seoul,  but  on  a  far  grande 

vard.'  ZV  ■''''''  ''  *'^  ^°"'"^°^^  ''  -«  or  the  court- 
yards, and  he  gigantic  figures  round  the  altar,  with  the  sacri- 
ficial utensils,  hangings,  and  dresses,  are  costly  and  mag'fi. 

molted;:      '  '""  ''''  ''  '  '^'^^  ^"^  -'^^^y  «"<^^^t 


CHAPTER  XXVn 

NORTHWARD    HO  I 

FOR  the  northern  journey  simple  preparations  only  were 
needed,  consisting  of  the  purchase  of  candles  and  two 
blankets  for  Im,  in  having  two  pheasants  cooked,  in  dispens- 
ing with  one  pony,  leaving  us  the  moderate  allowance  of  two 
baggage  animals,  and  in  depositing  most  of  my  money  with 
Mr.  Moffett.  For  there  were  rumors  of  robbers  on  the  road, 
and  Mr.  Yi  left  his  fine  clothes  and  elegant  travelling  gear  also 
behind. 

On  a  brilliant  morning  (and  when  are  Korean  mornings  not 
brilliant?),  passing  through  the  gate  out  of  which  General  Tso 
made  his  last  sally,  and  down  the  steep  declivity  on  which  it 
opens,  we  travelled  for  a  time  along  the  An  Ju  road,  skirting 
the  base  of  the  hill  on  which  the  C)  inese  cavalry  made  their 
desperate  attack  on  an  intrenched  position,  and  near  the  ruins 
of  two  intrenched  camps,  where  they  fell  in  hundreds  before 
the  merciless  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  where  human  bones  were 
still  lying  about.  But  where  Death  reaped  that  ghastly  harvest 
magnificent  grain  crops  had  recently  been  secured,  and  the 
mellow  sunlight  shone  on  miles  of  stubble. 

Shortly  we  turned  off  on  a  road  untouched  by  the  havoc  of 
war,  and  saw  no  more  of  the  gaunt  ruins  or  charred  remains 
of  cottages.  In  that  pleasant  region  ranges  of  hills  with  pines 
on  their  lower  slopes  girdle  valleys  of  rich  stoneless  alluvium, 
producing  abundantly  cotton,  tobacco,  caster  oil,  wheat, 
barley,  peas,  beans,  and  most  especially,  the  red  and  white 
millet.  Wherever  a  lateral  valley  descends  upon  the  one 
through  which  the  road  passes,  there  is  a  village  of  thatched 

330 


•  i| 


Northward  Ho 


321 


houses,  pretty  enough  at  a  distarice  and  embowered  in  fruit 
trees,  while  dumps  of  pines,  oaks.  elms,  and  zelka  as  denote 
the  bur,al  places  of  its  dead,  who  are  (he  guardians  of  theonly 
fine  timber  which  is  suffered  ■         st. 

The  hamlets  along  the  re  .re  cheerfully  busy.  Millet 
was  stacked  in  the  village  roa.  ,  .ys.  leaving  only  room  for  one 
laden  animal  to  pass  at  a  time,  and  as  all  the  threshing?  of  rice 
and  grain  ,s  done  with  double  flails  also  in  the  village  street 
one  actually  rides  over  the  threshed  product.  The  red  or 
arge  millet  is  nearly  as  useful  to  the  Korean  as  is  the  bamboo 
o  the  Chinese.  Its  stalks  furnish  fuel,  material  for  mats  and 
hick  woven  fences,  and  even  for  houses,  for  in  Phyong-an  Do 
the  wahs  are  formed  of  bundles  of  millet  stalks  8  feet  high  for 

ZVZ^a'  '"°u  ""^''^  ^i"gJe  stalks  are  laid,  the  interstices 
oeing  filled  up  with  mud. 

After  two  days  of  somewhat  monotonous  prettiness.  beyond 
Shou-yang-yi  the  country  became  really  beautiful.  Some  of 
the  larger  valleys  were  specially  attractive,  with  abundance  of 
fru.  and  other  deciduous  trees  below  the  dark  /'/.m  sinensis 
on  the  hill  slopes,  and  there  were  plenty  of  large  villages  with 
a  general  look  of  prosperity,  everything,  clothing  included, 
being  much  cleaner  than  usual.  There  were  fine  views  of 
My  dog-tooth  peaks,  and  of  serrated  ranges  running  east  and 

ZL  ^y.'^'lV"7  ''"'^  ^''  '''  ^^'Sht.  rapid  stream,  on 
which  the  hills  descend  on  one  side  in  abrupt  and  much 
caverned  imestone  cliffs,  the  other  side  being  level  and  fertile. 
The  people  there,  and  doubtless  everywhere,  were  taken  up 
entirely  with  their  own  concerns,  the  new  system  of  taxation 
under  which  a  fixed  tax  in  money  is  levied  on  the  assessed 
value  of  the  land  meeting  with  their  approval.     Events  in 
Seoul  had  no  interest  for  them.     The  recent  murder  of  the 
(^ueen  and  the  imprisonment  of  the  King  did  not  concern 
them,  as  there  were  no  effects  of  either  on  their  circumstances. 
After  crossing  the  pass  of  Miriok  Yang,  816  feet  in  altitude,  in 
a  romantic  region,  we  entered  poorer  country  with  stony  soil, 


11 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


/ 


:/      ,* 


A^' 


it 


v^ 


1.0   v^ 


1.1 


u 

IK 
la 


|3j2 

140 


2^ 
2.2 


11.25  iu 


1^ 


1.8 


1.6 


ISOmm 


6' 


>4PPLIED^  IN/MGE .  Inc 

jsst  t653  East  Main  Street 
JS=r^  Roctiaster.  NY  14609  USA 
JSSTjS  Phone:  716/482-0300 
_     Fax:  716/288-5989 

e  1093.  ApfXMK)  liruga,  Inc  .  All  Rignii  RM*rv«d 


•^A^ 


,\ 


^. 


i>^ 


<> 


.A<Sf 


^ 


322 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


often  piled  with  large  shingle  by  the  violence  of  streams  then 
perfectly  dry. 

By  misdirection,  misunderstanding,  or  complexity  or  com- 
plete illegibility  of  the  track,  we  spent  much  of  the  day  in 
losing  and  retracing  our  way,  scrambling  up  steep  rock-ladders, 
etc.,  and  when  we  reachetl  Kai-pang  after  dusk  we  were  for 
some  time  refused  admission  to  the  inn.  The  owner  said  he 
could  not  take  in  any  one  travelling  with  so  many  mapu  (four) 
and  a  soldier.  He  was  terrified.  He  said  we  should  go  away 
in  the  morning  without  paying  him,  and  should  beat  him  when 
he  asked  to  be  paid  !  However,  the  mapu  gave  me  such  an 
excellent  character  that  at  last  he  consented,  and  I  had  an  ex- 
cellent room,— that  is,  the  walls  and  roof  were  cream-washed, 
which  gave  it  a  look  of  cleanliness.  Tlie  timid  innkeeper  was 
old,  and  this  brought  out  tlie  fact  that  when  a  local  migistrate 
has  aged  parents,  it  is  customary  for  him  to  invite  to  an  enter- 
tainment everybody  in  his  district  between  the  ages  of  60  aiid 
ICO,  and  it  is  usual  for  the  old  men  to  take  their  oldest 
grandsons  with  them  as  testimonies  to  their  old  age.  As  every 
guest  has  to  be  accompanied  fittingly,  the  company  often 
numbers  200. 

At  Ka-chang  and  elsewhere  the  pigsties  are  much  more 
solid  than  the  houses,  being  regular  log  cabins  with  substantial 
roofs  for  the  protection  of  their  inmates  from  tigers,  or  in  that 
neighborhood  from  wolves  (?).  These  pigs,  of  wliich  every 
country  family  in  Korea  possesses  some,  are  of  an  absurdly 
small  black  breed,  a  full-grown  animal  not  weighing  more 
than  26  lbs. 

During  the  two  days'  journey  from  the  market-place  of 
Sir.:i-chung,  we  passed  the  magistracies  of  Cha-san  and  Un- 
san,  ferrying  the  Tai-dong  just  beyond  Cha-san,  where  it  is  a 
fine  stream  317  yards  broad,  and  is  said  by  the  ferrymen  to  be 
47  feet  deep.  All  that  region  is  well  peopled  and  fertile. 
There  are  no  resident  ^rt//!,'--A///j  in  the  province  of  Phyong-an. 
Gold  is  obtained  by  a  simple  process  all  round  the  country, 


Northward  Hof 


3-^3 


si)ecially  at  Keimi  sai).     Al  \Vo|  „o   -.  nr.i.;i     •. 

takes  1  h;,rN  „  1    I    -       '  ,"  ""^  '"^'s.     It  bears  wasiiin.'  and 
WKes  a  high  polisli  from  dry  rubbinc      I„  f|,p  »„....  n  , 
where  two  tints  are  usetl  carefnllv  ^i  m       ^      *  ^'^"'' 

It  is  also  used  for  wX    Tm    ^'       '''.""'^'''  "'"^  ^^^'^*1"^^- 
folding,  conical  h  t  co  L  wh     ":::rrf  ^  '  "^^"'•:  '"'°  "- 

sleeve.  an,l  into  ^vaterproof  doa       cofs        n"  ''"""'  '"  ^'' 
A  very  thick  kind  of  II       ^'"f «'  c^^'ts.  and  baggage  covers. 

po«.,„,,o  a™„.,„e„.  and  „„W,,  de^.^rL  t     JH 

I  lie  day  s  journey  from  Ka-cl,ang  to  Tok  Chhun  U  .t        i! 

very  attraclive  scenery  „i,h  crinH  „'"*':'"'"""  """"eh 

crossing  a  lo»  b,„  severe  pL'Z    came  h         """     ^'" 

buurlsit  a      Ll"' HUrT'-t  'r"'°"='  '"'''•^''-"' 


Ml 


3-^4  Korta  aiul  Her  Neighbors 

Again  losing  the  way  and  our  time,  a  struggle  over  a  .....kI. 
pass  brought  us  in  view  of  the  Tai-dong.  with  the  character- 
istics of  US  mountain  course,  long  rapids  with  glints  of  foam 
and  rocks,  loPg  reaches  of  deep,  still,  slow-gliding  jagged 
translucent  green  water   broad   and   deep,  making  constant 
abrupt  turns,  and  by  its  volume  suggesting  great  powers  of 
destruct.veness  when  it  is  liberated  from  its  mountain  barriers 
1.1    about  a  fortnight   it   would   be   frozen   for  the  winter. 
Diamond-flashmg  in  the  fine  breeze,  below  noble  cliff,  and 
cobalt  mountains,  across  which  cloud  shadows  were  sailing  in 
ind.go.  under  a  vault  ot  cloud-flecked  Mue.  that  view  was  one 
of  those  dreams  of  beauty  which  become  a  possession  for  ever. 

withT  T  -^^"^  '}"'  '°''^'  '^ ''  '""  ^  *=^"^^^  "'^^'  »  shut  in 
w.th  the  Ta.-dong  for  30  //.    In  some  places  there  is  not  room 

even  for  the  narrowest  bridle  track,  and  the  ponies  scramble 
as  they  may  over  the  rough  boulders  -vhich  margin  the  water, 
and  chmb  the  worn,  steep,  and  rocky  steps,  often  as  high  as 
their  own  knees,  by  which  the  break-neck  track  is  taken  over 
the  rocky  spurs  which  descend  on  the  river.     It  is  one  of  the 
worst  pieces  of  road  I  ever  encountered,  and  it  was  r         ,«- 
derful  that  we  did  not  meet  a  single  traveller,  and  t\       .v- 
should  be  only  about  nine  a  year  I     We  made  by  our  utn;  m 
efforts  only  a  s^hort  mile  an  hour,  and  it  took  us  five  hours  of 
this  severe  work  to  reach  the  wretched  hamlet  of  Huok  Kuri 
a  feiv  hovels  dumped  down  among  heaps  of  stones  and  great 
boulders,  some  of  wliich  served  as  backs  for  the  huts     Pov- 
erty-stricken, filthy,  squalid,  the  few  inhabitants  subsisted  en- 
tirely on  red  millet  I     Poor  Mr.  Yi,  who  had  had  a  wakeful 
n.ght  owing  to  vermin,  said  woefully  as  he  dismounted  stiffly. 
Sleepy,  tired,  cold,  hungry."-and  there  was  nothing  to  eat, 
and  little  for  the  ponies  either,  which  may  have  been  the 
reason  that  they  got  up  a  desperate  fight,  of  which  they  bore 
the  traces  for  some  days. 

The  track  continued  shut  in  by  the  hi>h  mountains  which 
Une  the  Tai-dong  till  within  a  mile  of  Tok  Chhon,  forcing  the 


o 
c 

I 

< 

H 

0!! 

U 

a, 
a. 


Northward  Ho! 


325 


ponies  to  climb  worn  rock-Iari,i»ro  ^-  » 

among  sharp-pointed  rk,         hi'/     °  f"^  '  ^'"°"'  ^^^ 

double  .  r„r  „,*robbe«  ""r?."''  '""•^"'  '"'■""l  b/  'Le 

ponies,  ye,m;l  :  Xve  a:jf  °:'™"'  ""'""'  ">"  "" 
Tolt  ri,i  ••    r  '^  '  ^"°  ^y  'he  time  we  reached  tl,«. 

i;;  Mt\':ZbVrrr  r  ""■■• '""  ''-'—' 

white,  and  b„lU  in  rS         ''^'  '""  "  '"'■^"'  "«"  i" 

>«.>..i'M  niX't^,e""f  r :: ::  -"r -t  r*  • 
s^biirriT'^"'-""-'"^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

of  .he  toZ  .,e  Th.r'T'""'''''^'''''-''  "here  tbeinna 
crowd  a  coTecJ  and  in  -,'  '"°?""«"'  ^  «'"' "=-"""« 
«i.h  .he  load    smi  or?K '  ■""''"'  °^  ''  ""«  "■"  ""A'- 

rushing  hi  ?a„d  bUhe  I  i  '"'"'!'  "«'"«  "' '"««'  ""d  to 
refuse/  ac.:„r,t    '     J  "e::  Xr  b°d  "b!'  "^^  ■*'" 

chh'an  b^h;"S;ct;b::.t;i;::;:';re''atd?°' 

"an.  .0  be  ••  implicated  with  a  foLner  "iTZ  u  ""' 

i^irie " '  ""='  -''-'-"'^  •°^- oLt^fire^;;;! 


1 1 


3^6  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

chink  for  a  moment,  our  men  rushed  for  it,  but  it  was  at  once 
barred,  and  we  were  all  again  left  standing  in  the  street,  the 
centre  of  a  crowd  which  increased  every  moment 

Our  men  eventually  forced  open  the  door  of  one  inn  and 
got  the.r  pomes  m.     Then  the  paper  was  torn  off  two  doors, 
and  Im  was  visible  against  the  light  from  within  tearing  about 
I.ke  a  black  d^mon.     We  had  then  stood  like  statues  for  two 
hours  with  our  feet  in  freezing  slush,  the  great  crowd  preserv- 
ing a  ring  round  us,  staring  stolidly,  but  not  showing  any  hos- 
t.I.ty.     At  last  Im  appeared  at  an  open  door,  waving  my  chair, 
and  we  got  into  a  high,  dark  lumber-room ;  but  the  crowd  was 
too  quick  for  us,  and  ( ame  tumbling  in  behind  us  till  the  place 
was  full.     Then  the  landlord  closed  the  doors,  but  they  were 
smashed  m,  and  he  had  no  better  luck  when  he  weakly  be- 
sought the  people  to  look  at  him  and  not  at  the  stranger,  for 
his  entreaty  only  produced  an  ebullition  of  Korean  wit,  by  no 
means  complimentary.     An  official  from  the  yanun  arrived 
and  inquired  if  I  had  any  complaint  to  make,  but  I  had  none, 
and  he  sat  down  and  took  a  prolonged  stare  on  his  own  ac' 
count,  not  making  any  attempt  to  disperse  the  crowd 

So  I  sat  facing  the  door,  Mr.  Yi  not  far  off  smoking  endless 
cigarettes  while  Im  battled  for  a  room,  after  one  he  had  se- 
cured had  Its  doors  broken  down  by  the  crowd.  I  sat  for  two 
hours  longer  in  that  cold,  ruinous,  miserable  place,  two  front 
and  three  back  doorways  filled  up  with  men,  the  whole  male 
population  of  Tok  Chhon,  and,  never  moved  a  muscle  or 
howed  any  sign  of  dissatisfaction  I  Some  sat  on  the  doorsill, 
1.  tie  men  were  on  the  shoulders  of  big  ones,  all,  inside  and 
outside,  clamoring  at  once. 

The  situation  might  have  been  serious  had  a  European  man 
been  with  me.  and  the  experiences  of  Mr.  Campbell  of  the 
Consular  Service,  at  Kapsan  might  have  been  repeated.  No 
Englishman  could  have  kept  his  temper  in  such  circumstances 
from  8  r.  M.  till  midnight.  He  would  certainly  have  knocked 
somebody  down,  and  then  there  would  have  been  a  fight.    The 


North  ward  Ho! 


327 


ccedcd  all  bound,  that  night.  Fortunately  for  me.  a  Korea'. 
genUemnn  ,s  taught  from  hi,  earliest  boyhood  that  he  must 
never  lose  h.»  temper,  and  that  it  is  a  degradation  to  him  to 
touch  an  inferior,  therefore  he  must  never  strike  a  «.rvant  or 
one  of  the  lower  orders. 

fnA*i  '"''^"?''''  ^'"'"'^'y  ""'"^  °^  °"'"  P^'^'^X'  «"d  anxious 
for  sleep  the  mn  people  consented  to  give  me  a  room  in  the 

back-yard  .f  I  d.d  not  object  to  one  "prepared  for  sacrifice  " 

«.,d  contaming  the  ancestral  tablet,.     The  crowd  then  f.lkd 

he  back-yard,  and  attempted  to  pour  into  my  room,  when 

l^i  hTv'  r^  ^"'T'  ^'''  ^^y  '■°^  °"'y  »he  second  time, 
and  he  knocked  people  down  right  and  left.     This,  and  the 

help.«d  to  matter  the  crowd,  but  it  was  there  again  at  daylight 
attempting  to  enter  every  time  Im  opened  the  door  I 

b,r  'VrT  T''"''^  ^°'  ''"'■^'""  '■"  ^''P^^*  was  a  small 
barn,  fearfully  d.rty  and  littered  with  rubbish,  and  bundles  of 

Ind  rX;  '"i       '^"^l  T'  '"''^'''  ''''y  "-"""e  the  beams 

1  h.  f  7.  ^  """"^y  '"*  •'  '''^^''>^  '■"  ''^'f-  I"  the  in- 
ner half  th.re   was  a  dusty  table,  and  behind  it  or      bhck 

s  and  a  dusty  black  shrine,  at  the  back  of  which  was  a  Cr 

leaved  screen  covered  with  long  strips  of  paper,  on  which  were 

poems  .n  pra.se  of  the  deceased.     In  fron^^v^ding  th   rZ 

two  widths  of  very  dirty  foreign  calico.  Among  the  poor  in- 
stead  of  setting  food  before  the  ancestral  shrine  fwice  ^hr  ce 
daily  during  the  three  yea,^  of  mourning  for  a  parem   i     I 

t°abfet'  Th  n^th^  h^- "  '  "'""'^-  '"  ^^ -"  ^^^^^^^ 
the  third  soul  of  the  deceased,  as  I  have  mentioned  before 

I  spent  two  days  at  Tok  ChhcJn.  Properly  speaking  'the 
Taidong  ,s  never  navigable  to  that  point,  owing  tTmany  and 
dangerous  rapids,  and  any  idea  of  the  po^ibilit/of  t^is  highly 
P-cturesqe  stream  becoming  ...  great  commercial  highway'' 


I 


f 


m 


328  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

may  be  utterly  dismissed.  Small  boats  can  ascend  it  at  all 
J.«on.  to  Mou-chin  Tai.  about  .40  //  lower  down  a"',  ,,  i  g 
two  summer  months,  when  the  water  is  high,  a  few  with  much 
d  fficulty  get  up  to  Tok  ChhOn.  and  even  a  few  //  fartherrand 
•t  the  same  season  rafts  descend  from  the  forests  of  the  Yun«. 

rap.ds.  shallow,  and  sandbanks  which  shift  contfnually.  the 
r  ver  .s  not  really  navigable  higher  than  Phyong-yang.  and 
.11  commercial  theories  built  upon  it  are  totally  chimerical 

ban  below,  the  perpendicular  walls  of  limestone  rock  rising 

X  oTwhi';°"  ''  ""',  '°''^  "'°""^^'"»  ^»"-  'hem.  the 
peaks  of  which,  even  so  early  as  the  end  of  November   were 

crested  w.th  new-fallen  snow.  I  had  been  assured  in  Phy6nT 
yang  that  ^ats  could  be  hired  at  Tok  ChhSn.  and  I  had 
planned  to  descend  the  river;  but  there  are  no  liats.  except 
a  few  ferry  scows,  higher  than  Mou-chin  Tai. 

Tok  ChhSn  and   its  district   are   lamentably  poor     The 
people  sa,d   that  the  war  had  made  the  necL^  of  Hfe 

«>.rth  h!i    T        uT'  ''^'''^  '""^^  **^'"»  '^"'i<^^  «"t  farther 

south  had  not  reached  that  region,  and  "squeezing"  was  st.l 

carr.^  on  by  the  officials.     Rice,  the  ordinary  staff  of  Kc  re  " 

•fe.  .s  brought  from  An  Ju.  but  is  used  only  bv  the  rich  !> 

ato<:  and  whea?'  "^^  ""k^"  '"^^  ^^'  '-"  -"^^      P- 

wan-sin      A  t^;!;  f"''  '^'  ^"'  ^^^'^'^^'  '»  ^-'-th 
W5n-san.     A  few  s.lk  lenos  and  gauzes  of  very  poor  quality 
are  made,  the  mdustry  having  been  introduced  b^rCh  .    e 
Th^e  71  "':  '"'^  '  '"^  '''''  ^^^^"  '^'^  «t  Phyong  ;  „g 

luTeTv  Tn  ^  !.   T^  ''  '^'y  *^^°"«'^^-     The  country  is  abso- 
the  region  owes  .ts  few  groves  of  dwarfed  and  distorted  pin« 


f 


North  war.I  Ho  J 


3-^9 

to  the  honw^shoe  grave,  on  the   hillsi,l«,       a 

on  y  ha;,gs  together  from  force  (,f  S     ,  C     T'"'"  ^''"^'' 

ncr,  lined  the  river-bank  by  the^rrv    m    '       7'    """"■ 

^^\  in   black  ga..e  coats  over  the  'iviwt""'     "'?'  '''''' 

•ng-ng  girls  met  his  chair  and  ran  with       I,."'"'  ""'  '  '^" 

fe*v  men  hooked  on  apatheiical  v     A  '''''^'""^"'  «"d  a 

could  not  be  imagined  ^'  """'^  '^1"^''^'  «"""« 

-  that  time  44  ^listri.l.,     ,  .r^thT""'  ''^^'^^  ^"* 
400  men  each,  whose  sole  HnfJ  !  "'"'^"^e  staff  of 

-"ecting,  th^ir  Cd  a  on  '  ThTJ'T  ?' '^""'^^  ^"^ '-- 
month,  costing  ^39^00  a  'ea,.  Th  "'^  '7  'T'"  ^^ 
"ot  receiving  a  "living  wL  "  ''.,111  if  '''^°°  '"^"' 
coimt  the  peasant   who  .„  v         .  '''"*^^<^^     on  its  own  ac- 

'eg«.  except  th  t  'o/  bei  ^  thr,  •"  '""'"  "■^''''  "^  P-'" 
t-ion  ofL  n^ethods        ;„;  t?r"^%  ^-" '"- 

vHape  in  a  southern  province  tIi^  .  ^"'  "'"  '^^^^  °^  ^ 
and  the  Provincial  T  "0,  J  eTt^  P"'"  ^^ -quired, 
on  every  house.  The  0  .1  mn  »  /^T-'S't'on  of  ,00  r«./i 
his  runners  to  250,  which  las  f 'I  T  """"''  '"'  ^°  -°'  ^"^ 
runners  getting  o  I^  thl  1  ?  ^  '"^'  '^^  "'^  P^"P'^'  »''* 
'oo.  a  FTtion  of  Sh  L  '  "''  "°'  '"^  ''^'^  ^^^^""^ 
which  it  was  levied  An  7r^7 rT  ."T^'^  °"  *''*^  ^^i'^^  ^or 
-^"clng  the  sabrles  o    maS;!  :ef:r'''^"^"^«"-'-d 

b-ildings.  and  the  fiUh    ;.' I^' ."'"/"u'  ''^^>'  °^  ^'^-'^J 
<=0"ld  go  no  farther  ^"''"'  "'^  '^'  P''^''^'  d^vellings, 

'My  autI.ority  for  this  statement  is  Mr  W  K  r„  1      r 
M.  8  Vice-consul  in  Korea.  ^'^'*^'''  formeriy  II.B. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

OVER  THE  AN  KIL   VUNO   PASS 

pINDING  the  Tai-clang  totally  in.practicable.  .nd  being 

wans  a  T/''""«T:'  ''^  '"'  '  ^'^^^'^'^""^  turned  J.h! 
wards,  and  journeyed  Seoul-wards  by  another  ro.ite   of  mt.rJ, 

njter.e.^which  touches  here  and  the^re  the  r^grL^oTrhe 

ZtllcLr    y"^'"^-^  «'««'"g.   -rounded   by  an 
n'tv    tV      'fe^K^  o^n-mouthed  crowd  steeped 

•n  poverty,  I  felt  Korea  to  l,e  hopeless,  helpless  Diliahl,. 
p.teons.  a  mere  shuttlecock  of  certain  great  llZ'  a  d  t»  ai 
here  „  no  hope  for  her  ^pulation  of  tlelveT  o  'rte  „  mU 
I  ons,  unless  .t  is  taken  in  hand  by  Ru^ia,  under  whorri 
g.v.ng  secunty  for  the  ,ains  of  industry  a  well  asTghUaxa 
t.on  I  had  seen  Koreans  in  hundreds  iransformed  into  „e 
gehc   thr.v,ng.  peasant  farmers  in  Eastern  Sil>eria. 

The  road,  which  was  said,  and  truly,  to  be  a  very  bad  one 
cro«,es  a  small  plain,  and  passing  under  a  roofed  gateway  SI' 

running  east  and  west,  enters  upon  really  fine  scenery   which 

g^2Tb2"'wh "  ''"-^'"'^  ^° "' "  '^' « ^-'^  '"--'^" 

girniecl  basin,  whose  rim  is  spotted  with  large  villaues  and 

ZaTtt  r  '  "7'  '"°""^"'"'  °^^'"P'-"*^  forms.'^wing- 
^apm  a  imes,  and  revealing  loftier  peaks  and  ranges  then 
glittering  with  new-fallen  snow.  ^ 

In  crossing  the  plain  at  a  point  where  the  road  was  good  I 

330  ' 


■■HMte. 


>nd  being 
ing  of  the 
led  south* 
of  much 
nk  of  the 

and  end- 
d  by  an 
1  steeped 
pitiable, 
And  that 
teen  mil- 
ose  rule, 
;ht  taxa- 
ito  ener- 

Jad  one, 
•  way  be- 
ficationi 
,  which 
5untain- 
5es,  and 
prpnla- 
,  swing- 
[es  then 

g:ood,  I 


i 

i 


II 


in 

iii 

III 


Over  the  An-kil  Yung  Pass  331 

was  remarking  to  Mr.  Yi  what  a  pleasant  and  prosperous 
journey  we  had  had,  and  hoping  our  good  fortune  might  con- 
tinue, when  there  was  a  sudden  clash  and  flurry,  I  was  nearly 
kicked  off  my  pony,  and  in  a  moment  we  were  in  the  midst  of 
disaster.  One  baggage  pony  was  on  his  back  on  his  load, 
pawing  the  air  in  the  middle  of  a  ploughed  field,  his  mafu 
helpless  for  the  time,  lamed  by  a  kick  above  the  knee,  sobbing, 
blood  and  tears  running  down  his  face;  the  other  baggage 
animal,  having  divested  himself  of  Im,  was  kicking  off  the 
rest  of  his  load ;  and  Im,  who  had  been  thrown  from  the  top 
of  the  pack,  was  sitting  or  Mie  roadside,  evidently  in  intense 
pain— all  the  work  of  a  m.  ..ent.  Mr.  Yi  called  to  me  that 
the  soldier  had  broken  his  ankle,  and  it  was  a  great  relief 
when  he  rose  and  walked  towards  me.  Everything  breakable 
was  broken  except  my  photographic  camera,  which  I  did  not 
look  at  for  two  days  for  fear  of  what  I  might  find  I 

Leaving  the  men  to  get  the  loads  and  ponies  together,  we 
walked  on  to  a  hamlet  so  destitute  as  not  to  be  able  to  provide 
either  wood  or  wadding  for  a  splint !  I  picked  up  a  thick 
faggot,  however,  which  had  been  dropped  from  a  load,  and  it 
was  thinned  into  being  usable  with  a  hatchet,  the  only  tool 
the  village  possessed,  and  after  pad.iing  it  with  a  pair  of  stock- 
ings and  making  a  six-yard  bandage  out  of  a  cotton  garment, 
I  put  up  Im's  right  arm,  which  was  broken  just  above  the 
wrist,  in  splints,  and  made  a  sling  out  of  one  of  the  two  towels 
which  the  rats  had  left  to  me.  I  should  have  been  gUd  to 
know  Korean  enough  to  rate  the  gossiping  mapu,  three  men  to 
two  horses,  who  allowed  the  accident  to  happen. 

The  animals  always  fi£,ht  if  they  are  left  to  themselves,  and 
loads  and  riders  are  nowhere.  One  day  Mr.  Yi  had  a  bit  of  a 
finger  taken  off  in  a  fight,  and  if  a  strange  brute  had  not 
kicked  my  stirrup  iron  (which  was  bent  by  the  blow)  instead 
of  myself,  I  should  have  had  a  broken  ankle.  When  we  hailed 
at  midday  the  villagers  tried  hard  to  induce  Im  to  have  his 
arm  "needled"  to  "let  out  the  bad  blood,"  a  most  risky 


\ .  •> 


liil 


ill 


332 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


surgical  proceeding,  which  often  destroys  the  usefulness  of  a 
limb  for  life,  and  he  was  anxious  for  it,  but  yielded  to  persua- 
sion. 

Being  delayed  by  this  accident,  it  was  late  when  we  started 
to  cross  the  pass  of  An-kil  Yung,  regarded  as  "  the  most  dan- 
gerous in  Korea,;'  owing  to  its  liability  to  sudden  fogs  and 
violent  storms,  3,346  feet  in  altitude,  and  said  to  be  no  li 
long. 

The  infamous  path  traverses  a  wild  rocky  glen  with  an 
impetuous  torrent  at  its  bottom,  and  only  a  few  wretched 
hamlets,  in  which  the  hovels  are  indistinguishable  from  the 
millet  and  brushwood  stacks,  along  its  length  of  several  miles. 
Poverty,  limiting  the  people  to  the  barest  necessaries  of  life, 
is  the  lot  of  the  peasant  in  that  region,  but  I  believe  that  his 
dirty  and  squalid  habits  give  an  impression  of  want  which  does 
not  actually  exist.     I  doubt  much  whether  any  Koreans  are  un- 
able  to  provide  themselves  with  two  daily  meals  of  millet,  with 
clothes  sufficient  for  decency  in  summer  and  for  warmth  in 
winter,  and  with  fuel  (grass,  leaves,  twigs,  and  weeds)  enough 
to  keep  their  miserable  rooms  at  a  temperature  of  70°  and 
more  by  means  of  the  hot  floor. 

To  the  west  the  valley  is  absolutely  closed  in  by  a  wall  of 
peaks.    The  bridle-path,  a  well-engineered  road,   when   it 
ascends  the  very  steep  ridge  of  the  watershed  in  many  zigzags, 
rests  for  100  feet,  and  descends  the  western  side  by  seventy- 
five  turns.     Except  in  Tibet,  I  never  saw  so  apparently  insur- 
mountable an  obstacle,  but  it  does  not  present  any  real  diffi- 
culty.    The  ascent  took  seventy  minutes.     Rain   fell  very 
heavily,  btit  the  superb  view  to  the  northeast  was  scarcely  ob- 
scured     At  the  top,  which  is  only  100  feet  wide,  there  is  a 
celebrated  shrine  to  the  daemon  of  the  past.     To  him  all 
travellers  put  up  petitions  for  deliverance  from  the  many 
malignant  spirits  who  are  waiting  to  injure  them,  and  for  a 
safe  descent.     The  shrine  contains  many  strips  of  paper  in- 
scribed with  the  names  of  those  who  have  made  special  pay- 


Over  the  An-kil  Yung  Pass  333 

raents  for  special  prayers,  and  a  few  wreaths  and  posies  of 
faded  paper  flowers.  The  woman  who  lives  in  the  one  hovel 
on  the  pass  makes  a  good  living  by  receiving  money  from 
travellers,  who  offer  rice  cakes  and  desire  prayers  The 
worship  is  nearly  all  dune  by  proxy,  and  the  rice  cakes  do 
duty  any  number  of  times. 

Besides  the  shrine  and  a  one-rooomed  hovel,  there  are  some 
open  sheds  made  of  millet  stalks  to  give  shelter  during  storms 
he  An-kil  Yung  pass  is  blocked  by  snow  for  three  months  of 
the  year,  but  at  other  times  is  much  used  in  spite  of  its  great 
height.  Excellent  potatoes  are  grown  on  the  mountain  slopes 
at  an  altitude  exceeding  3,000  feet,  and  round  Tok  ChhSn 
they  are  largely  cultivated  and  enter  into  the  diet  of  the  peo- 
pie,  never  having  had  the  disease. 

Darkness  came  on  prematurely  with  the  heavy  rain,  and  we 
asked  the  shnne-keeper  to  give  us  shelter  for  the  night,  but  she 
said  that  to  take  in  six  men  and  a  foreign  woman  was  irapos- 
81b  e,  as  she  had  only  one  room.     But  it  was  equally  impos- 
_   sible  for  us  to  descend  the  pass  in  the  darkness  with  tirTd 
pomes  and  after  half  an  hour's  altercation  the  matter  was  ar- 
ranged,  Im   who  retained  his  wits,  securing  for  me  a  degree 
of  privacy  by  hanging  some  heavy  mats  from  a  beam,  giving 
me.  I  am  sure,  the  lion's  share  of  the  apartment.     Really  the 
accommodation  was  not  much  worse  than  usual,  but  though 
the  mercury  fell  to  the  freezing  point,  the  hot  floor  kept  the 
ins.de  temperature  up  to  83°,  and  the  dread  of  tigers  on  the 
part  of  my  hostess  forbade  my  having  even  a  chink  of  the  door 
open ! 

The  rain  cleared  off  in  time  for  the  last  sunset  gleam  on  the 
distant  mountains,  which,  when  darkness  fell  on  the  pass 
burned  fiery  red  against  a  strip  of  pale  green  sky,  taking  on 
afterwards  one  by  one  the  ashy  look  of  death  as  the  light  died 
off  from  their  snows.  All  about  An-kil  Yung  the  mountains 
are  wooded  to  their  summits  with  deciduous  trees,  the  ubiqui- 
tous Ptnus  sinensis  being  rare;  but  to  the  northward  in  the 


III: 


■Ul 


334 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


direciion  of  Paik-tu  San  the  character  of  the  scenery  changes, 
and  peaks  and  precipices  of  naked  rock,  and  lofty  mouptain 
monoliths,  with  snow-crowned  ranges  beyond,  form  by  far  the 
grandest  view  that  I  saw  in  this  land  of  hill  and  valley. 

Then  Im  had  to  be  attended  to,  and  though  I  was  very 
anxious  about  him,  I  could  not  be  blind  to  the  picturesqueness 
of  the  scene  in  the  hovel,  Mr.  Yi  sitting  in  my  chair  holding 
the  candle,  the  soldier,  with  his  face  puckered  with  pain, 
squatting  on  the  floor  with  his  swollen  arm  lying  on  a  writing 
board  on  ray  lap,  and  no  room  to  move.     I  failed  there  as 
elsewhere  to  get  a  better  piece  of  wood  for  the  splint,  which 
was  too  short,  and  I  could  only  get  wadding  for  padding  it  by 
taking  some  out  of  Im's  sleeve,  and  all  the  time  and  after- 
wards I  was  very  anxious  for  fear  that  I  had  put  the  bandage 
on  too  tightly  or  too  loosely,  and  that  my  want  of  experience 
would  give  the  poor  fellow  a  useless  right  arm.     He  was  in 
severe  pain  all  that  night,  but  he  was  very  plucky  about  it, 
made  no  fuss,  and  never  allowed  me  to  suffer  in  the  slightest 
degree  from  his  accident.     Indeed,  he  was  even  more  attentive 
than  before.     He  said  to  Mr.  Yi,  "  The  foreign  woman  looked 
so  sorry,  and  touched  my  arm  as  if  I  had  been  one  of  her  own 
people,  I  shall  do  my  best  "—and  so  he  did.     I  had  indulged 
in  a  long  perspective  of  pheasant  curries,  and  I  must  confess 
that  when  the  prospect  faded  I  felt  a  little  dismal.     To  a 
traveller  who  carries  no  "  foreign  food,"  it  makes  a  great  dif- 
ference to  get  a  nice,  hot,  stimulating  dish  (even  though  it  is 
served  in  the  pot  it  is  cooked  in)  after  a  ten  hours'  cold  ride. 
To  my  surprise,  I  was  never  without  curry  for  dinner,  and 
though  before  the  accident  I  had  only  cold  rice  for  tiffin,  after 
it  I  was  never  without  something  hot. 

The  descent  of  An-kil  Yung  is  very  grand.  The  road  leads 
into  a  wide  valley  with  a  fine  stream,  one  side  of  which  looks 
as  if  the  mountains  had  dumped  down  all  their  available 
stones  upon  it,  while  the  other  is  rich  alluvial  soil.  Gold 
washing  is  carried  on  to  a  great  extent  along  this  stream. 


Over  the  An-kil  Yunn  Pass 


335 


wluch  «  a  tributary  of  the  Tai-dGng.  and  some  of  the  work- 
ings show  more  care  and  method  than  usual,  being  pits  .^ea  "v 
Uned  wuh  stone  In  their  upper  parts.     Eighly  cen^^r  day  is 
the  average  earning  of  a  gold-seeker  there.     This  valley  te 
mmatesin  pretty  broken  country,  with  fine  mouL    X 
and  p.c  uresque  cliffs  along  the  river,  on  which  the  dark  b^; 
g  oom  of  p,nes  was  lighted  by  the  fading  scarlet  of  the  ma^ 
a^Ki  cnmson  streaks  of  the  ^,.;../.^./,  r^mu  brightened 
he  ru«^t  mto  which  the  countless  trailers  which  dra^       e 
rocks  had  passed.     The  increased  fertility  of  the  soil  Ta 
noted  by  the  number  of  villages  and  hamle's  on  the  rLd   a^ 
foot  passengers  in  twos  and  threes  gave  something  of  Uf;  and 
vera^^l'Uen^^h^  -  remarkable  that  so  soon  aLr  t;l\\"r 
vest,  and  when  the  roads  were  in  their  best  condition   there 
were  no  goods  in  transit  except  such  local  productions as'ppr 
and  tobacco-no  strings  of  porter,  .r  ponies  carrying  goods 
no  the  -tenor  from  Phyong-yang,  no  evidence  of  tr!debu 
that  given  by  the  pedlars  going  the  round  of  the  market  places 

■    J  J    T  7'  '"'  ^•""'^^^^  "^-  the  villages  here  are 

the  be hef  that  they  will  guard  the  inhabitants  from  cholera 
and  o  her  pestilences.  On  that  day's  journey,  at  a  cTos  road 
a  small  ,og  with  several  holes  like  those  of  a  mouLra^^^^^^^^ 
o^  them  plugged  doubly  with  bungs  of  wood,  wa  y  n^;  I 
path,  and  the  mapu  were  careful  to  step  over  it  and  lead  h  r 
ponies  over  it  though  it  might  easily  have  been  a  oided  I  to 
the  bunged  hole  the  '«/-/a«^  or  sorceress  by  her  arts  had  1 

the  log.  At  nightfall  it^izr  Ti^tXnrsS::: 

through  extremely  attractive  country-small  v.iw  k  r 

rich  stoneless  soil,  with  brown  hamll^  n^  ^  d'Z: 

22r"'f''''''^  '°''^  °'  '^'"^'  -^""-'^  though  not  high  a  e 
shapely,  and  were  etherealized  into  purple  beautv  Z  hT  T 

a^g  sun,  Which  turned  the  lake-like  '..t'lfZtt^Ci 


If 


IHiil 


ti) 


33^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Mou-chin  Tai,  the  beautifully  situated  halting-place  for  the 
night,  into  a  sheet  of  gold. 

With  a  splendid  climate,  an  abundant,  but  not  superabun- 
dant, i-ainfall,  a  fertile  soil,  a  measure  of  freedom  from  civil 
war  and  robber  bands,  the  Koreans  ought  to  be  a  happy  and 
fairly  prosperous  people.     If  "  squeezing,"  ^«;,;.«  runners  and 
their  exactions,  and  certain  malign  practices  of  officials  can  be 
put  down  with  a  strong  hand,  and  the  land  tax  is  fairly  levied 
and  collected,  and  hw  becomes  an  agent  for  protection  rather 
tlian  an   instrument  of  injustice,  I  see  no  reason  why  the 
Korean  peasant  should  not  be  as  happy  and  industrious  as  the 
Japanese  peasant.     But  these  are  great  "  ifs  "  !     Secun/y  for 
the  gains  of  industry,  from  whatever  quarter  it  comes,  will  1 
believe,  transform  the  limp,  apathetic  native.     Such  ameliora- 
tions as  have  been  made  are  owed  to  Japan,  but  she  had  not  a 
free  hand,  and  she  was  too  inexperienced  in  the  r6le  which 
:Uidertook  fand  I  believe  honestly)  to  play,  to  produce  a 
hairaonious  working  scheme  of  reform.     Besides,  the  men 
through  whom  any  such  scheme  must  be  carried  out  are  nearly 
universally  corrupt  both  by  tradition  and  habit.     Reform  was 
jerky  and  piecemeal,  and  Japan  irritated  the  people  by  med- 
dlesomeness in  smai;  matters  and  suggested  interferences  with 
national  habits,  giving  the  impression,  which  1  found  prevail- 
ing everywhere,  that  her  object  is  to  denationalize  the  Koreans 
for  purposes  of  her  own. 

Travellers  are  much  impressed  with  the  laziness  of  the  Ko- 
reans but  after  seeing  their  energy  and  industry  in  Russian 
Manchur.a,  their  thrift,  and  the  abundant  and  comfortable 
furnishings  of  their  houses,  I  greatly  doubt  whether  it  is  to  be 
regarded  as  a  matter  of  temperament.  Every  man  in  Korea 
knows  that  poverty  is  his  best  security,  and  that  anything  he 
possesses  beyond  that  which  provides  himself  and  his  family 
with  food  and  clothing  is  certain  to  be  taken  from  him  by  vo- 
racious and  corrupt  officials.  It  is  only  when  the  exactions  of 
officials  become  absolutely  intolerable  and  encroach  upon  his 


Over  the  An-kil  Yung  Pass  337 

ineans  of  providing  the  necessaries  of  life  that  he  resorts  to 
the  only  method  of  redress  in  his  po^er.  which  has  a  so  of 
counterpart  in  China.     This  consists  in  driving  out,  and  ^a 

o  .  as  ,n  a  case  wh.ch  lately  gained  much  notoriety,  roast i  J 
h.s  favor.te  secretary  on  a  wood  pile.     The  popular  outburst 
though  under  unusual  provocation  it  may  culminate  in  de 

:ix^;ttesr ""' '  -^-"'^  ^^--^^^  -  '^«^^'  -^  ^- 

ortrrbZ'I'h  '"°'^''  °^  ?"'"'"«  ^''  ^^"-"^  '^b°^'  doubling 
or  treblng  the  amount  of  a  legitimate  tax,  exacting  bribes  in 
cases  of  ht.gat.on.  forced  loans,  etc.  If  a  man  is  reported  o 
have  saved  a  l.ttle  money,  an  official  asks  for  the  loan  of  i^ 

merest  .f  ,t  ,s  refused,  he  is  arrested,  thrown  into  prison  on 
some  cha^ge  .nvented  for  his  destruction,  and  beaten  unti^ 
either  he  or  his  relations  for  him  produce  the  sum  demanded 

Wa  w^  'T  "'^ '''''  '^"^^"^^  --^d'  thaUn  Nor  itn 

Korea,  where  the  winters  are  fairly  severe,  the  peasants  when 

he  harvest  has  left  them  with  a  few  thousand  S^p  t  rhem 

ma  hole  m  the  ground,  and  pour  water  into  it,   he  frozen 


III ' 


11 

i 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


SOCIAL  POSITION   OF  WOMEN 

MOU-CHIN  TAI  is  a  beautifully  situated  village,  and  has 
something  of  a  look  of  comfort.     Up  to  that  point 
small  boats  can  come  up  at  all  seasons,  but  there  is  almost  no 
trade.     The  Tai-dong  expands  into  a  broad  sheet  of  water,  on 
which  the  hills  descend  abruptly.     There  is  a  ferry,  and  we 
drove  our  ponies  into  the  ferryboat  and  yelled  for  the  ferry- 
man.    After  a  time  he  appeared  on  the  top  of  the  bank,  but 
absolutely  declined  to  take  us  over  "for  any  money."     He 
would  have  "nothing  so  do  with  a  foreigner,"  he  said,  and 
he  would  not  be  "  implicated  with  a  Japanese  "  !     So  we  put 
ourselves  across,  and  the  mapu  were  so  angry  that  they  threw 
his  poles  into  the  river. 

Passing  through  very  pretty  country,  and  twice  crossing  the 
Tai-dong,  we  halted  at  the  town  of  Sun-chhon,  a  magistracy 
with  a  deplorably  ruinous ^'aw^w.  All  these  official  buildings 
have  seen  better  days.  Their  courts  are  spacious,  and  the 
double-roofed  gateways,  with  their  drum  towers,  as  well  as  the 
central  hall  of  the  yamen,  still  retain  a  certain  look  of  stateli- 
ness,  though  paint,  lacquer,  and  gilding  have  long  ago  disap- 
peared from  the  elaborately  arranged  beams  and  carved  wood 
of  the  roofs,  and  the  fretwork  screening  the  interiors  is  always 
shabby  and  broken. 

About  the  Sun-chhon  yamen,  and  all  others,  there  are  crowds 
of  "  runners,"  writers,  soldiers  in  coarse  ragged  uniforms,  young 
men  of  X\-\q  yangban  class  in  spotless  white  garments,  lounging, 
or  walking  with  the  swinging  gait  befitting  their  position,  while 
the  decayed  and  forlorn  rooms  in  the  courtyard  are  filled  with 

338 


Social  Position  of  Women  339 

petty  officials,  smoking  long  pipes  and  playing  cards.  To  judge 
from  the  crowds  of  aiten.lants,  the  walking  hither  and  thither 
the  hurry.ng  ,n  varions  directions  with  manuscripts,  and  the 
dm  of  drums  and  fifes  when  the  great  gate  is  opened  and  closed, 
one  would  think  that  nothing  less  than  the  business  of  an  em- 
pire was  transacted  within  the  ruinous  portals. 

Soldiers,  s^xhtxs,  yamen  runners,  and  men  "of  ihfi  yan^-dan 
and  literary  classes  combined  with  the  loafers  of  the  town  to 
compose  a  crowd  which  by  its  buzzing  and  shouting,  and  tear- 
.ng  off  the  paper  from  my  latticed  door,  gave  me  a  fatiguing 
and  hideous  two  hours,  a  Korean  crowd  being  only  ««bearable 
when  ,t  ,s  led  by  men  of  the  literary  class,  who.  as  in  China, 
■ndulge  in  every  sort  of  vulgar  impertinence.  Eventually  I 
was  smuggled  into  the  women's  apartments,  where  I  was  vic- 
timized in  other  ways  by  insatiable  curiosity 

The  women  of  the  lower  classes  in  Korea  are  ill-bred  and 
unmannerly,  far  removed  from  the  gracefulness  of  the  same 
Class  in  Japan  or  the  reticence  and  kindliness  of  the  Chinese 
peasant  women.     Their  clothing  is  extremely  dirty,  as  if  the 
men  had  a  monopoly  of  their  ceaseless  laundry  work,  which 
everywhere  goes  on  far  into  the  night.     Every  brookside  has 
ts  aundresses  squatting  on  flat  stones,  dipping  the  soiled  clothes 
in  the  water,  ay.ng  them  on  flat  stones  in  tightly  rolled  bundles 
and  beating  them  with  flat  paddles,  a  previous  process  consist- 
ing of  steeping  them  in  a  ley  made  of  wood  ashes.     Bleached 
under  the  brilliant  sun  and  very  slightly  glazed  with  rice  starch, 
after  being  beaten  for  a  length  of  time  with  short  quick  taps  on 
whrtV    r  r'';.,^'"^-^'-P-l  "'-"dry  sticks.-  common 

whiteness  which  always  reminds  me  of  St.  Mark's  words  con- 
cerning  the  raiment  at  the  Transfiguration,  -  so  as  no  fuller  on 
earth  can  white  them."  This  wearing  of  white  clothes,  and 
especially  of  white  wadded  clothes  in  winter,  entails  very  severe 
and  incessant  labor  on  the  women.  The  coats  have  to  be  un- 
picked and  put  together  again  each  time  that  they  are  washed 


I  ^ 


340  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

aiul  though  some  of  the  long  seams  are  often  joined  with  paste 
there  is  till  much  sewing  to  be  done.  ^      ' 

Besides  this  the  Korean  jjeasant  woman  makes  all  the  cloth- 
ike  w hi.  n  h  "'"""'  ;'"'  '"  '^''  '^"^'^'"«'  '^'"'''^  ^"d  clean, 
nee  with  a  heavy  pestle  and  mortar,  carries  heavy  loads  to 
mar  et  on  her  head,  draws  water,  in  remote  district!  wots  „ 
the  fields,  rises  early  and  takes  rest  late,  spins  and  weaves,  and 

olthree         '  '"'"'  ^^''^'^''"'  ^'^^  "'  ''''  '^^^"^^  ''"  »»>^  ««« 
The  peasant  woman  may  be  said  to  have  no  pleasures.     She 
•s  nothing  but  a  drudge,  till  she  can  transfer  some  of  the 
drudgery  to  her  daughter-in-law.     At  thirty  slie  looks  fifty 
I'lfrn'  '"7; ^'■^^"^"^'y  '°«thless.     Even  the  love  of  personal 
adornment  fades  out  of  her  life  at  a  very  early  age.     Heyond 
the  daily  routine  of  life  it  is  probable  that  her  thoughts  ner 
s  ray  except  to  the  demons,  who  are  supposed  to  people  earth 
and  air,  and  whom  it  is  her  special  duty  to  propitiate 

It  IS  reallydifficult  to  form  a  general  estimate  of  the  position 
of  women  in  Korea.     Absolute  seclusion  is  the  inflexible  rule 
among  the  upper  classes.     The  ladies  have  their  own  court- 
yards  and  apartments,  towards  which  no  windows  from  the 
men  s  apartments  must  look.     No  allusion  must  be  made  by  a 
visitor  to  the  females  of  the  household.     Inquiries  after  their 
health  would  be  a  gross  breach  of  etiquette,  and  politeness^r 
quires  that  they  should  not  be  supposed  to  exist.     Women  do 
not  receive  any  intellectual  training,  and  in  every  class  are  re- 
garded as  beings  of  a  very  inferior  order.     Nature  having  in 
tl  e  est.^ation  o    the  Korean  man.  who  holds  a  sort  of  dual 
plbsoph^  marked    woman    as    his   inferior,    the    Vo.^^s 
^rmer    H,stoncal  Summaries,  and  the  LittU  Learning  im- 
press this  view  upon  him  in  the  schools,  and  as  he  be^  n  To 
m.x  with  men  this  estimate  of  women  receives  daily  corrobora- 

The  seclusion  of  women  was  introduced  five  centuries  ago 
by  the  present  dynasty,  in  a  time  of  great  social  corruption, 


Social  Position  of  Women  341 

for  the  protection  of  the  family,  and  has  probably  been  con- 
tinued,  not,  as  a  Korean  frankly  told  Mr.  llcbcr  Jones  l*- 
cause  men  disuust  their  wives,  but  because  they  distrust  each 
other,  and  with  good  reason,  for  the  immorality  of  the  cities 
and  of  the  upper  classes  almost  exceeds  belief.     Thus  all  yoimg 
women,  and  all  older  women  except  those  of  the  lowest  class 
are  secluded  within  the  inner  courts  of  the  houses  by  a  custom 
which  has  more  than  the  force  of  law.     To  go  out  suitably 
concealed  at  night,  or  on  occasions  when  it  is  necessary  to 
travel  or  to  make  a  visit,  in  a  rigidly  closed  chair,  are  the  only 
outings  -of  a  Korean  woman   of  the  middle  and  upper 
classes,  and  the  low-class  woman  only  goes  out  for  purposes  of 

The  murdered  Queen  told  me,  in  allusion  to  my  own  Korean 
journeys,  that  she  knew  nothing  of  Korea,  or  even  of  the  cap- 
ital,  except  on  the  route  of  the  Kur-dong, 

Daughters  have  been  put  to  death  by  their  fathers,  wives  by 
their  husbands,  and  women  have  even  committed  suicide,  ac- 
cordmg  to  Dallet,  when  strange  men,  whether  by  accident  or  de- 
sign, have  even  touched  their  hands,  and  quite  lately  a  servinR- 
woman  gave  as  her  reason  for  remissness  in  attempting  to  save 
her  mistress,  who  perished  in  a  fire,  that  in  the  confusion  a 
man  had  touched  the  lady,  making  her  not  worth  saving  1 

The  law  may  not  enter  the  women's  apartments.     A  noble 
hiding  himself  in  his  wife's  rooms  cannot  be  seized  for  any 
crime  except  that  of  rebellion.     A  man  wishing  to  repair  his 
roof  must  notify  his  neighbors,  lest  by  any  chance  he  should 
see  any  of  their  women.     After  the  age  of  seven,  boys  and 
girls  part  company,  and  the  girls  are  rigidly  secluded,  seeing 
none  of  the  male  sex  except  their  fathers  and  brothers  until 
the  date  of  marriage,  after  which  they  can  only  see  their  own 
and  their  husband's  near  male  relations.     Girl  children,  even 
among  the  very  poor,  are  so  successfully  hidden  away,  that  in 
somewhat  extensive  Korean  journeys  I  never  saw  one  girl  who 
looked  above  the  age  of  six,  except  hanging  listlessly  about  in 


\ 


•HI 


342  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

.^Y  .hough.  Of  o„r  c,„;„„;;:  ih^™; ::  '^^z 

•ha.  you,  husband,  do,,',  care  for  you  ve^  much  '•  I 

spring  in  ti.ese  cases  are  under  a  serin,.,  J      ,"'•.    ^^'^  °^- 
jnm  ,a.e,  have  .ee„  «c,„derf,:,Z::  Sir^^'.lo'r 

«a^,d.     I.  appears  .ha.  a  philosophy  largely  ,•„,„„„  J  frl 

;  .       "  "0  <'">"IJ'  "«t  .he  Korean  woman    in  ad  '   -  •   ^ 
~     "  '"r^"""'  ""^'^  ^  cer.ain  d    c1„,„e„c; 

She':  .'t.'ct'rirh.T'  °" '""°"'  '"^"  "•-  '-• 

im  un,     .i,;^     r    *     °'  --""arnage,  and  .ha.  of  remain- 
■»g  ....x.    ..el ,.,  she  ,s  „x.een,  and  she  can  refuse  permission 


Social  Position  of  Women 


343 


to  her  husband  for  his  concubines  to  occupy  the  same  house 
with  herself.     She  is  powerless  to  divorce  her  husband,  con- 
jugal fidelity,  typified  by  the  goose,  the  symbolic  figure  at  a 
wedding,  being  a  feminine  virtue  solely.     Her  husband  may 
cast  her  off  for  seven  reasons— incurable  disease,  theft,  child- 
lessness, infidelity,  jealo"isy,  incompatibility  with  her  parents- 
in-law,  and  a  quarrelsome  disposition.     She  may  be  sent  back 
to  her  father's  house  for  any  one  of  these  causes.     It  is  be- 
lieved,  however,   that  desertion    is   far  more  frequer  t  than 
divorce.     By  custom  rather  than  law  she  has  certain   recog- 
nized rights,  as  to  the  control  of  children,  redress  in  (  ise  of 
damage,  etc.     Domestic  happiness  is  a  thing  she  does  no  look 
for.     The  Korean  has  a  house,  but  no  home.     The  husi  and 
has  his  life  apart;  common  ties  of  friendship  and  externa   in- 
terest are  not  known.     His  pleasure  is  taken  in  company  w  th 
male  acquaintances  and  gesang ;  and  the  marriage  relationship 
is  briefiy  summarized  in  the  remark  of  a  Korean  gentleman  in 
conversation  with  me  on  the  subject,  "  We  marry  our  wives, 
but  we  love  our  concubines." 


CHAPTER  XXX 

EXORCISTS  AND  DANCING   WOMEN 

nn,»  ft,.  '  *"^  ^'^Se  Of  curiosity  was  blunted 

and  there  was  no  mobbing     The  ni.nni^  ^.  ^     a-         .""^^^' 

coun,  of  .heir  suffeHng.  lo  J^e^SLtf^^^:,  'roXd 

?  1  Lh  *'  r™'"-  ■^"^  Koreans  deserwd,  .hZh 
fright,  the  adjacent  ferry  village  of  Ou-Chin-Bans  where  f. 
Piously  crowed  the  Tai-dang,  and  it  was  held'by  ;,  ChT 

The  Japanese  detachments  were  being  withdrawn  fmm  t^ 

as  if  on  parade   and  tlipJr  ^ff;«„  '  marcned 

smartness"^  Wh  „  1'       ,°d    "  h"'  """""*"  f"'  '"='' 
thins  readv  ^^r.  ^        ,  '''"""'  "'=)■  f™"<i  "ery- 

ea  "    The  :  """""«  '°  "I"  •""  ^"«^k  their  artns  and 

~tl    The  peasant  women  wen.  on  with  their  avocations  « 

1AA 
wTt 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  34J 

only  two  Id  \  S  .^    '^  ,  ''  "•  '"'^"'™=')'  ""^  "'«  "he,^ 

.  Who  .hLXuTwtt;  ^itsr^er^^^^  *= -^»' 

ing,  crossing  ,he  battlefield  o'clTorand  „T     "'  ,"°"- 
the  desolations  which  war  1,Vh  I        t     ,    ^  '""«  ""■°"«'> 

cold,  •>«co.parati;:uifttbr"?  leLrpr  "^  *'• 

where  I  remained  for  six  days  Phyong-yang, 

nnc!!'ta,- ,  ta^r  tTt' •  ""'  V™^"  '^"^^"  ^'-'""  "^ 
Phyong.yang  a  d  ChemffrT'   "'"'*    "°"""^")'    ''«"'«" 

point  aVo„.*6:    -lo^Tdln  the  T^'h""'  ™  '""  ''°-=^"'  => 

too  shallow  and  full  of  c^,^    f' '"'"'«•  "''"'^'>  ^''o™  '''  « 
.  ""O  '""  of  sandbanks  for  vessek  of  an,,  j        l 

necessitating  the  transhipment  of  -11  Zh.,'^  ""S""' 
innks  of  small  tonnage."^  Tl°wT  "  '■°"«'"  "^  ''^ 
between  Po-san  and  PI    ■•  '     °"'''"'   ""  telegraph 

steamer  ar,  v^  e  ceorwTf '""'*'  ""  "'"  ''""'  ""'"  ''^ 
only  rematne  a  e?  1  r:r'"'  "!"■""  ™"'  """  ^'- 
was  agitated  by  the  fir  of '  1„       l  ^^  ™"  ""''''■""e>""'« 

-..a„d,j„ey\srtUr:eper-s:::^^^^^^ 


If] 


f 


34^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Korean  post,  and  the  Japanese  military  post  and  telegraph  of- 
fice  absolutely  refused  to  carry  messages  or  letters  for  civilians 
Wild  rumors,  of  which  there  were  a  goodly  crop  every  hour 
were  the  substitute  for  news.  ' 

A  subject  of  special  interest  and  inquiry  at  Phyong-yang 
was  mission  work  as  carried  on  by  American  missionaries.    At 
Seoul  u  ,s  far  more  difficult  to  get  into  touch  with  it,  as,  being 
older,  It  has  naturally  more  of  religious  conventionality.     But 
I  will  take  this  opportunity  of  saying  that  longer  and  more  in- 
timate  acquaintance  only  confirmed  the  high  opinion  I  early 
formed  of  the  large  body  of  missionaries  in  Seoul,  of  their 
earnestness  and  devotion  to  their  work,  of  the  energetic,  hope- 
ful, and  patient  spirit  in  which  it  is  carried  on,  of  the  harmony 
prevailing  among  the  different  denominations,  and  the  cordial 
and  sympathetic  feeling  towards  the  Koreans.     The  interest  of 
many  of  the  missionaries  in  Korean  history,  folklore,  and  cus- 
toms, as  evidenced  by  the  pages  of  the  valuable  monthly,  the 
^or^an  Repository,  is  also  very  admirable,  and  a  traveller  in 
Korea  must  apply  to  them  for  information  vainly  sought  else, 
where. 

Christian  missions  were  unsuccessful  in  Phyong-yang.    It 
was  a  very  rich  and  very  immoral  city.     More  than  once  it 
turned  out  some  of  the  missionaries,  and  rejected  Christianity 
with  much  hostility.     Strong  antagonism  prevp.iled,  the  city 
was  thronged  with  gesang,  courtesans,  and  sorcerers,  and  was 
notorious  for  its  wealth  and  infamy.     The  Methodist  Mission 
was  broken  up  for  a  time,  and  in  six  years  the  Presbyterians 
only  numbered  28  converts.     Then  came  the  war,  the  destruc- 
tion of  Phyong-yang,  its  desertion  by  its  inhabitants,  the  ruin 
of  Its  trade,  the  reduction  of  its  population  from  60,000  or 
70,000  to  15,000,  and  the  flight  of  the  few  Christians. 

Since  the  war  there  had  been  a  very  great  change.  There 
had  been  28  baptisms,  and  some  of  the  most  notorious  evil 
livers  among  the  middle  classes,  men  shunned  by  other  men 
for  their  exceeding  wickedness,  were  leading  pure  and  right- 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  347 

eous  lives.     There  were  140  catechumens  under  instruction, 
and  subject  to  a  long  period  of  probation  before  receiving  bap- 
tism,  and  the  temporary  church,  though  enlarged  during  my 
absence,  was  so  overcrowded  that  many  of  tiie  worshippers 
were  compelled  to  remain  outside.     The  offertories  were  lib- 
eral.i    In  the  dilapidated  extra-mural  premises  occupied  by 
the  missionaries,  thirty  men  were  living  for  twenty-one  days, 
two  from  each  of  fifteen  villages,  all  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  and  earnestly  receiving  instruction  in  Christian 
fact  and  doctrine.     They  were  studying  for  six  hours  daily 
with  teachers,  and  for  a  far  longer  time  amongst  themselves, 
and  had  meetings  for  prayer,  singing,  and  informal  talk  each 
evening.     I  attended  three  of  these,  and  as  Mr.  Moffett  inter- 
preted for  me,  I  was  placed  in  touch  with  much  of  what  was 
unusual  and  interesting,  and  learned  more  of  missions  in  their 
earlier  stage  than  anywhere  else. 

Besides  the  thirty  men  from  the  villages,  the  Christians  and 
catechumens  from  the  city  crowded  the  room  and  doorways. 
Iwo  missionaries  sat  on  the  floor  at  one  end  of  the  room  with 
a  kerosene  lamp  mounted  securely  on  two  wooden  pillows  in 
front  of  them— then  there  were  a  few  candles  on  the  floor, 
centres  of  closely-packed  groups.     Hymns  were  howled  in 
many  keys  to  familiar  tunes,  several  Koreans  prayed,  bowing 
their  foreheads  to  the  earth  in  reverence,  after  which  some 
gave   accounts  of   how   the  Gospel   reached   their  villages, 
chiefly  through  visits  from  the  few  Phyong-yang  Christians, 
who  were  "scattered  abroad,"  and  then  two  men,  who  seemed 
'The  Seoul  C/irisfian  JVe.os,  a  paper  recently  started,  gave  its  readers 
an  account  of  the  Indian  famine,  with  the  resuh  that  the  Christians  in  the 
magistracy  of  Chang-yang  raised  among  themselves  ^84  for  the  sufferers 
in  a  land  they  had  hardly  heard  of,  some  of  the  women  sending  their  solid 
silver  rings  to  be  turned  into  cas/,.     In  Seoul  the  native  Presbyterian 
churches  gave  ji!6o  to  the  same  fund,  of  which  ;S20  were  collected  by  a 
new  congregation  organized  entirely  by   Koreans.     I  am  under  the  im- 
pression  that  the  liberality  of  the  Korean  Christians  in  proportion  to  their 
means  far  exceeds  our  own. 


ni 


) 

',  I 


it] 

nil 


348  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

spirit"  were^diur"d' „\:"'„'  l''7:!'  ^"f  ""'  "■^  "fo"' 
that  the  men  Irembled  ,J,       J     ?.  ^""  '°  ""^  <>«.  =nd 

never  .„  ^uranf. Ctt^ltclt  at '""=  I^"  ''""■ 
many  who  saw  them.  Christians,  along  with 

.0  tf  foraS  ret  '"■"  '?'""'  "'"^««  °-  ='"-°™ 

another  got  upTd^^    :tr:?„U^:orpr^^^^^  °"'  f " 
come  to  his  village  and  l,»^  .  u  ?  Phfong.yang  had 

"icked  and  f  Jisf  to  1  ,      J       ™  """  "'^''  ^'^  '""h 

wrongdoer,  ard",  .he^^-.tT^^rH"  ""  '"'^  ""' 
wrongdoing,  but  that  H,7.       ,  "^"™'  "'"'  Hs« 

".ey'did  tttrwt'  o^h:;"r  z  f""-  ^^v'" 

Z'ZXr"  were  meeting  daii;;:  ^l  "p  fT^:  ^^  ^f 

how  to  worship  the  .1  God    """'  °°'  '"  «°  """  ''^'''  ">- 

A  young  man  told  how  his  father  „„  i      •  . 
had  met  Mr.  Moffett  bvTh^  r!  h"^'  "  "«'"''  ''^"^  "M- 

"some  good  ZT-LT  u  '  '"'' '"'"'"«  '"""  *'•'" 
"goodnC- "g^itnewsCdhT  "''"«  "=  "^'^  "-«' 
.ha.  he  had  becolTl  CMstia,  'd  r;*'"'""''^'"^"'' 
bad  called  his  neighbor  3  'r.fu'''  ^^"^  "'''■  ""<' 
would  not  rest  till  hisVo  t  had  ^"      *'  ""^•"  ^"1 

made  a  good  living  LM  ''"'''  """'-  "I""  had 

the  instruTel  o  L  Lr"'';  "T  ""'  ^''"  '"■  Moffett 
his  life,  but  now  he  k  Tw  rta?;;;'  '"  "''"'  '="'"  O""'  "» 
he  was  serving  the  tn,e  gL  "  '  """  """«'  'P'""'  -^ 

came"  .0*;™:^™""  '""h  "'""''  ^"  ^'■-'-  '-"■"« 

-  -,.r:"s„r:ertt:rmr;ris 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  349 

within  and  without  by  men,  reverent  and  earnest  in  manner 
some  o    whom  had  been  shunned  for  their  wickele L  e' "^ 
a  cty      the  smoke  of  which  "  in  her  palmy  days  was  a  d  "   o 
go  up  hke  the  smoke  of  Sodom,"  but  who,  transformed  bv  a 
power  outs.de  themselves,  were  then  leading  exemp'y  liv's 
inere  were  groups  in  the  dark,  groups  round  the  candles  o„ 

except  that  of  poor,  bewildered  Im.  One  old  man,  with  his 
forehead  m  the  dust,  prayed  like  a  child  that,  a  tl7e  letter 
beanng  to  New  York  an  earnest  request  for  mor  teac  er  1 
on  US  way.;,  the  wind  and  sea  might  waft  it  favorabt ' '  aTd 
that  when  U  was  read  the  eyes  of  the  foreigners'  mUt  be 
opened  "to  see  the  sore  need  of  people  in  a  land  Hrlll 

d^Therk!"?' '-'  ^^^^^  ^"  ^^"-  ^"  ^-'^'  -^  - 

As  I  looked  upon  those  lighted  faces,  wearing  an  expression 
rongly  contrasting  with  the  dull,  dazed  look  ofapathy  wh  ch 
•s  charactenstic  of  the  Korean,  it  was  impossible  not  to  recof 
n.ze  that  u  was  the  teaching  of  the  Apostolic  doctri  es  of  s^^ 
judgmen    to  come,  and  divine  love  which  had  brought  abou; 
such  results,  all  the  more  remarkable  because,  according  to  the 
m.ss>onanes,  a  large  majority  gf  those  wh;  had  ren'o  need 
d^mon  worsh.p,  and  were  living  in  the  fear  of  the  true  God 
had  been  attracted  to  Christianity  in  the  first  instance  by  the 

same  effect,  confirm  me  in  the  opinion  that  when  people  talk 
of  "nations  craving  for  the  Gospel,"  " stretching'out  pleat 
"g  hands  for  u  "  or  "athirst  for  God,"  or  "lonfing  fo  t he 
mng  waters,"  they  are  using  words  which  in  that  connect  on 
have  no  meaning.     That  there  are  ''seekers  after  righeous 
ness"  here  and  there  I  do  not  doubt,  but  1  believe  ^hlt  the 
one  "  craving  "  of  the  far  East  is  for  money-tha    '   nr  st  ' 
is  only  in  the  east  a  synonym  for  poverty,  and  that  the  spiritual 
instincts  have  yet  to  be  created.  spiritual 

•The  American  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 


:;.« 


I 


hi 


i 


Ifff 


350  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

On  the  Sunday  I  went  with  Dr.  Scranton  of  Seoul  to  the 
first  regular  service  ever  held  for  women  in  Ph>^  g-ya  / 
There  were  a  number  present,  all  d^mon-worshippe  f  some 
of  them  attracted  by  the  sight  of  a  '-  foreign  woman.''  i 
.mposs.ble  to  have  a  formal  service  with  people  who  had  not  tie 
most  elementary  .Ueas  of  God,  of  prayer'  of'moTaC'  a.  d  of 
good      It  was  not  possible  to  secure  their  attention      Thev 

acted  as  a  sort  of  spokeswoman  said,  "  They  thought  perhans 
It  l:'LT'^r;  T  "^  ""'''''  'VthemloXLTi: 
earliesutage  ""'"  ""  "  "'"""  "°^^  "  "^  "^ 

On  returning  from  a  service  in  the  afternoon  where  there 
were  crowds  of  bright  intelligent-looking  worshippers  we 
c  me  upon  one  of  the  most  important  ceremonies  conn;ctrd 
w  tl    the  popular  belief  in  d^mons-the  exorcism  of T.    1 

Nr  tlT  7'-'-'  ''  ''  '-  causeTaTve^:  I  l' 
JNever  by  n.ght  or  day  on  my  two  visits  to  Phyong-yane  had  I 
been  out  of  hearing  of  the  roll  of  the  sorcerer'!  dr'n,  wth 

pt^imelt      sT  '^t  ''  ''""''''  ''  ^"  '"'--•"-»  --^ 
pamment.     Such  sounds  attracted  us  to  the  place  of  exorcism 

In  a  hovel  w.th  an  open  d^or  a  man  lay  very  ill.     The  sTace 

were  Korean  tables  loaded  with  rice  cakes,  boiled  rice  stewed 
ch.cken.  sprouted  beans  and  other  delicacies.  In  d  i  one' 
space  squatted   three  old   women,   two  of  whom  be  ?  la  «" 

cymbals.  Faong  them  was  the  «.«./««^  or  sorceress  dressfd 
|n  rose-p„,k  silk,  with  a  buff  gauze  robef  with   ts  s  ee;^^^^^^^^^^^ 

."e  s";;:l°";'T""''  °^^^  ''-     ^'--  °^  P^per  r^em       g 

g  ze  w  th^:fd  ::t'  '"  '^•^'  ^^^  ^  ^"^"-«  -p  °^  ^^^ 

costume      q.        ^     .  '  "P°"  "'  "^'"P^^*^^  '^'  ""^  inelegant 

n  one  of  ,he  d  «.     "'  '"' ''  ""  °"'^  "^^^  — -' "y 

ni  one  of  the  dances.    She  carried  over  her  left  shoulder  a  stick 

pauued  wuh  bands  of  bright  colors,  from  which  hung  a  gong 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  351 

which  she  beat  with  a  similar  stick,  executing  at  the  same  time 
a  slow  rhythmic  movement  accompanied  by  a  chant.  From 
t.me  to  tmie  one  of  the  ancient  drummers  gathered  on  one 
plate  pieces  from  all  the  others  and  scattered  them  to  the  four 
winds  for  the  spirits  to  eat.  invoking  them,  saying.  -  Do  not 

oldJ^gs.  ••'     '  "^ ""'"'  '"^  ^'  ""^  ^«^'"  ^pp^^^^  y°"  ^y 

The  mu-fang  is,  of  course,  according  to  the  belief  of  those 
who  seek  her  services,  possessed  by  a  powerful  d^mon,  and 
by  means  of  her  incantations  might  induce  this  dcsmon  to 
evict  the  one  which  was  causing  the  sickness  by  aiding  her 
exorcisms,  but  where  the  latter  is  particularly  obstinate,  she 
may  require  larger  fees  and  more  offerings  in  order  that  she 
may  use  incantations  for  bringing  to  her  aid  a  yet  more  power- 
ful d«mon  than  her  own.    The  exorcism  lasted  fourteen  hours, 
until  four  the  next  morning,  when  the  patient  began  to  recover! 
A  crowd,  chiefly  composed  of  women  and  children,  stood  round 
the  fence,  the  children  imbibing  devilry  from  their  infancy 

I  was  not  at  a  regular  inn  in  Phyong-yang  but  at  a  broker's 
house,  with  a  yard  to  myself  nominally,  but  which  was  by  no 
means  private.     Im  generally,  and  not  roughly,  requested  the 
people  to  '.move  on,"  but  he  made  two  exceptions.'one  being 
m  favor  of  a  madwoman  of  superior  appearance  and  apparel 
who  haunted  me  on  my  second  visit,  hanging  about  the  open 
f  ont  of  my  room,  and  following  me  to  the  mission-house  and 
elsewhere.     She  said  that  I  was  her  grandmother  and  that  she 
must  go  with  me  everywhere,  and,  like  many  mad  people,  she 
had   an   important  and   mysterious  communication  to  make 
which  for  obvious  reasons  never  reached  me.     She  was  the 
concubine   of  a  late  governor  of  the  city,  and  not  having 
escaped  before  its  capture,  went  mad  from  horror  at  seeing  the 
Chinese  spitted  on  the  bayonets  of  the  Japanese.     She  carried 
a  long  bodkin,  and  went  through  distressing  pantomimes  of 
running  people  through  with  it ! 
The  other  exception  was  in  favor  of  gesaug,  upon  whose 


:i: 


in 


ill 


if] 


352 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


C   ' 


presence  Im  looked  quite  approvingly,  and  evidently  thought  I 
did. 

Phyong-yang  has  always  been  famous  for  the  beauty  and 
accomplishments  of  its  gfsang,  singing  and  dancing  girls, 
resembling  in  many  respects  the  j^eis/tas  of  Japan,  but  cor- 
rectly speaking  they  mostly  belong  to  the  Government,  and 
are  supported  by  the  Korean  Treasury.  At  the  time  of  my 
two  first  sojourns  in  Seoul,  about  seventy  of  them  were  at- 
tached to  the  Royal  Palace.  They  were  under  the  control  of 
the  same  Government  department  as  that  with  which  the  official 
musicians  are  connected. 

As  a  poor  man  gifted  with  many  sons,  for  whom  he  cannot 

provide,   sometimes    presents   one  to  the  government  as  a 

eunuch,  so  he  may  give  a  girl  to  be  a  gesang.     The  gesang 

are  trained  from  a  very  early  age  in  such  accomplishments  as 

other    Korean  women    lack,   and   which   will    ensure    their 

attractiveness,  such  as  playing  on  various  musical  instruments, 

singing,  dancing,  reading,  reciting,  writing,  and  fancy  work. 

As  their  destiny  is  to  make  time  pass  agreeably  for  men  of  the 

upper  classes,  this  amount  of  education  is  essential,  though  a 

Korean  does  not  care  how  blank  and  undeveloped  the  mind  of 

his  wife  is.     The  gesang  are  always  elegantly  dressed,  as  they 

were  when  they  came  to  see  me,  even  through  the  mud  of  the 

Phyong-yang  streets,  and  as  they  have  not  known  seclusion, 

their  manners  with  both  sexes  have  a  graceful  ease.     Their 

dancing,  like  that  of  most  Oriental  countries,  consists  chiefly 

of  posturing,  and  is  said  by  those  foreigners  who  have  seen  it, 

to  be  perfectly  free  from  impropriety. 

Dr.  Allen,  Secretary  to  the  U.S.  Legation  at  Seoul,  in  a 
paper  in  the  Korean  Repository  for  1886,  describes  among 
the  dances  which  specially  interest  foreigners  at  the  entertain- 
ments at  the  Royal  Palace  one  known  as  the  "  Lotus  Dance." 
In  this,  he  writes,  "  A  tub  is  brought  in  containing  a  large 
lotus  flower  just  ready  to  burst  open.  Two  imitation  storks 
then  come  in,  each  one  being  a  man  very  cleverly  disguised. 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  353 

These  birds  flap  their  wings,  snap  their  beaks,  and  dance  round 
in  admiration  of  the  beautiful  bud  whicli  tiiey  evidently  int  nd 
to  pluck  as  soon  as  they  have  enjoyed  it  sufficiently  in  antic- 
ipation. Their  movements  all  this  time  are  very  graceful, 
and  they  come  closer  and  closer  to  the  flower  keeping  tinje  to 
the  soft  music.  At  last  the  proper  time  arrives,  the  flower  is 
plucked,  when,  as  the  pink  petals  fall  back,  out  steps  a  little 
gesang  to  the  evident  amazement  of  the  birds,  and  to  the  in- 
tense delight  of  the  younger  spectators." 

The  Sword  and  Dragon  dances  are  also  extremely  popular, 
and  on  great  occasions  the  performance  is  never  complete  with- 
out "  Throwing  the  Ball,"  which  consists  in  a  series  of  grace- 
ful arm  movements  before  a  painted  arch,  after  which  the 
gesang  march  in  precession  before  the  King,  and  the  success- 
ful  dancers  receive  presents. 

Though  the  most  beautiful  and  attractive  .^--fj^w.^' come  from 
Phyong-yang,  they  are  found  throughout  the  country.  From 
the  King  down  to  the  lowest  official  who  can  afford  the  luxury, 
the  presence  of  gesang  is  regarded  at  every  entertainment  as 
indispensable  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  guests.  They  appear  at 
official  dinners  at  the  Foreign  Office,  and  at  the  palace  are  the 
chief  entertainers,  and  sing  and  dance  at  the  many  parties 
which  are  given  by  Koreans  at  the  picnic  resorts  near  Seoul, 
and  though  attached  to  the  prefectures,  and  various  other  depart- 
ments, may  be  hired  by  gentlemen  to  give  fascination  to  their 
feasts. 

Their  training  and  non-secluded  position  place  them,  how- 
ever, outside  of  the  reputable  classes,  and  though  in  Japan 
geishas  often  become  the  wives  of  nobles  and  even  of  statesmen, 
no  Korean  man  would  dream  of  raising  a  gesang  to  such  a 
position. 

Dr.  Allen,  who  has  had  special  opportunities  of  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  inner  social  life  of  Korea,  says  that  they 
are  the  source  of  much  heartburning  to  the  legal  but  neglected 
wife,  who  in  no  case  is  the  wife  of  her  husband's  choice,  and 


^! 


354  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

■that  Korean  folklore  abounds  with  stories  of  discord  arising  in 
families  from  attachments  to  gesang,  and  of  ardent  and  pro- 
longed devotion  on  the  part  of  young  noblemen  to  these  girls 
who  they  are  prevented  from  marrying  by  rigid  custom.  There 
IS  a  Korean  tale  called  The  Swallow  King's  Rewards  in  which 
a  man  is  visited  with  the  "ten  plagues  of  Korea,"  for  mal- 
treating  a  wounded  swallow,  and  in  it  .f.../«.  are  represented 
along  with  mu-tang  as  "  among  the  ten  curses  of  the  land  " 

Dr.  Allen,  to  whom  I  owe  this  fact  writes,  "Doubtless  tlsev 
are  so  considered  by  many  a  lonely  wife,  as  well  as  by  .he 
fathers  who  mourn  to  see  their  sons  wasting  their  substance  in 
riotous  hving.  as  they  doubtless  did  themselves  when  they  were 
young."  '      '^ 

The  house  in  which  I  had  quarters  was  much  resorted  to  by 
merchants  for  whom  my  host  transacted  brokerage  business, 
and  entertainments  were  the  order  of  the  .^ay.  Mr  Yi  was 
invited  to  dinner  daily,  and  on  the  last  evenii.g  entertained  all 
who  had  .nvued  him.  .  Such  meals  coot  per  head  as  much  as  a 
dinner  at  the  St.  James's  restaurant !  Noise  seems  essential  to 
these  gatherings.     The  men  shout  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

Ihere  is  an  enormous  amount  of  visiting  and  entertaining 
among  men  in  the  cities.  Some  public  men  keep  open  house 
giving  their  servants  as  much  as  ^60  a  day  for  the  entertain^ 
ment  of  guests.  Men  who  are  in  easy  circumstances  go  con- 
tinually  from  one  house  to  another  to  kill  time.  They  never 
talk  politics,  it  is  too  dangerous,  but  retail  the  latest  gossip  of 

and  tell  hear,  and  invent  news.  The  front  rooms  of  houses 
in  which  the  men  live  are  open  freely  to  all  comers.  In  some 
circles,  though  it  is  said  to  a  far  less  extent  than  formerly,  men 
meet  and  talk  over  what  we  should  call  "  questions  of  literary 
criticism,  compare  poetic  compositions,  the  ability  to  com- 
pose a  page  of  poetry  being  the  grand  result  of  Korean  educa- 
lon,  and  discuss  the  meaning  of  celebrated  works-all  litera- 
ture being  in  Chinese. 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  35J 

The  common  |K..„,,le  meel  i„  ,l,e  slreels,  the  ho„,e  fronis 
and  ,„e  „„..     Th.y  ask  „ach  other  e.uU  s.  ,|„eZr    a 
.   ...re  that  „e  should  .hi„k  „,ost  in„«r,i„a,.,  regardTg  each 

ersb,,s,,,ess,work,a,,d,,,o„ey,ra,,sac,io,,,,;„dfor,,,f,acs 

he  can  VhT,''  T'  ',""""  '"  '"'''  "'  "''''  ""  "-  "«> 
lions      K-  ■""  ''=  ""'"•"'■»l"^»  l-y  li«  a.Hl  cxaggera- 

t.o.is.  Korea  „  the  country  of  wiJd  run.ors.  What  a  Korean 
k..o.vs,  or  rather  hears,  he  te.ls.  According  ,„  IVre  UaUe,  he 
does  no.  know  the  meaning  of  reserve,  though  hi  ^  mtol v 

houses.     Domestic  hfe  ,s  unknown.     The  women  in  the  inner 
rooms  rece...  female  visitors,  and  the  girl  children  are  prZ 
The  boys  at  a  very  early  age  are  removed  .0  .he  rael^rra   ' 
ments,  where  they  learn  from  the  conversation  ,h"y  hea  Z 
every  man  who  respects  himself  must  regard  wome/wUh  co„ 

We  left  Physng.yang  for  Po-san  in  a  very  small  boat  in 

at;  r^p^r  onhe'rf  ""=""=°"*"'^^^^^^- 

.i.h  fever!.^bu.°wrLra:r.s::rgr^^^^^^^ 

^^shed  .„  m.les  in  six  hours,  and  were  well  pleased  rofind  .he" 
a,r,,v  lymg  a.  anchor,  as  we  had  not  been  able  „  get  ml 

for  up  i.s  broad  »a.e;^ti,ir^r;^^;if:rir; t  iiTS 

off  for    kk!"'  ^""^  '^'  S°'^  °f  K^"«>-san  only  ao  miles 

on,  lor  the  aboundinj?  rnal  of  *i,^  ;        j-  ^       "»nes 

uunaing  coal  of  the  immediate  neighborhood ; 


II 


m 


m 


35^>  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

for  tlie  hides,  which  are  now  carried  on  n.en's  backs  to  Che 

J"  f,? ..''""'"  "'"  '''''  ^"'"*^''""8  '■«  «^*^"  «f  the  original 

bunt  L  u'"T'."'';; '"  '"  "^'"^'^  "'^""  «"  -"d  --«-y, 

bmlt,  u  .s  sa.d.  by  Ku-ze  3.000  years  ago,  follows  the  righ 

o  the  north,  to  terminate  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  is  the 
reputed  grave  o,  .ts  builder.  This  extends  in  that  direct  on 
possibly  three  miles  beyond  the  present  wall 

The  plain  through  which  the  river  runs  is  fertile  and  well 
cultivated,  though  the  shining  mud  flats  at  low  tul  are  any- 
thing but  prepossessing.  Various  rivers,  enabling  boats  of  light 
draught  to  penetrate  the  country,  most  of  them  ri' ng  in  the  1 
^resque  n^ounta.n  ranges  which  descend  on  the  plafn.  specially 
on  Its  western  side,  join  the  Tai-dong.  ^        ^ 

be^U  rthtlfT"  t'  "'  u '  ^"""'^-     '  "^'  »°'^  '  "  should 
be  all  right  if  I  could  get  the  Ifariof,g,"  that  "  the  Harion.'s 

a  most  comfortable  little  boat-she  has  ten  staterooms.'' aid 
^  we  approached  her  in  the  mist,  very  wet,  and  stiff  fr^m  the 
e  gth  of  time  spent  m  a  cramped  position,  I  conjured  up  vis- 
ions of  comfort  and  even  luxury  which  were  not  to  be  realized 

crowdeH  '"""""^^^  ^y  J^P^»«»<^  J"nks.  Japanese  soldiers 
crowded  her  gangways,  and  Japanese  officers  were  directing 
he  loading.     VVe  hooked  on  to  the  junks  and  lay  in  the  rain 
for  an  hour  nobody  taking  the  slightest  notice  of  us.     Mr  Yi 
hen  scrambled  on  board  and  there  was  another  half-hour's'de- 
ay.  which  took  us  into  the  early  darkness.     He  reappeared 
saying  there  was  no  cabin  and  we  must  go  on  shore.    But  S 
cHmbe7'r°  f'^r  '^'''  '"^  ''  ^^^  ^he  last  steamer,  so  I 

t  and  Zo  "'.  '"  '"""'  "  ''''  ^Wge.    It  was  rain- 

ing  and  blowing,  and  we  were  huddled  on  the  wet  deck  like 
steerage  passengers,  Japanese  soldiers  and  commissariat  offi- 
yTwI^T  ««^.^'«7here  .n  Korea,  masters  of  the  situation.  Mr. 
Y.  was  frantic  that  he,  a  Government  official,  and  one  from 


Exorcists  and  Dancing  Women  357 

whom  "  the  Japanese  had  to  ask  a  hundred  favors  a  month  " 
should  be  treated  with  such  indignity  !     The  vessel  was  hired 
by  the  Japanese  commissariat  department  to  go  to  Nagasaki 
calling  at  Chemulpo,  and  we  were  really,  though  unintention- 
ally, interlopers  I 

There  was  truly  no  room  for  me,  and  the  arrangement 
whereby  I  received  shelter  was  essentially  Japanese.  I  lived 
in  a  minute  saloon  with  the  commissariat  officers,  and  fed  pre- 
cariously, Im  dealing  out  to  me,  at  long  intervals,  the  remains 
of  a  curry  which  he  had  had  the  forethought  to  bring.  There 
was  a  Korean  purser,  but  the  poor  dazed  fellow  was  "  no- 
where," being  totally  superseded  by  a  brisk  young  manikin 
Who,  in  the  intervals  of  business,  came  to  me,  notebook  in 
hand,  that  I  might  help  him  to  enlarge  his  English  vocabulary 
The  only  sign  of  vitality  that  the  limp,  displaced  purser  showed 
was  to  exclaim  with  energy  more  than  once,  "I  hate  these 
Japanese,  they've  taken  our  own  ships." 

Fortunately  the  sea  was  quite  still,  and  the  weather  was  dry 
and  fine ;  even  Yonyung  Pa-da,  a  disagreeable  stretch  of 
ocean  off  the  Whang  Hai  coast,  was  quiet,  the  halt  of  nearly 
a  day  off  the  new  treaty  port  of  Chin-nam-po  where  the  mud 
flats  extend  far  out  from  the  shore,  was  not  disagreeable,  and 
we  reached  the  familiar  harbor  of  Chemulpo  by  a  glorious  sun- 
set on  the  frosty  evening  of  the  third  day  from  Po-san,  the 
voyage  in  a  small  Asiatic  transport  having  turned  out  better 
than  could  have  been  expected. 


Vi 


c      ,,  ITINERARY 

Seoul  to — 

J^oyang 

PaJu ^ 

O-mok 

Ohur-chuk  Kio       .         ,         .         *.         *         \        \  * 

Song-do .'.'.*  10 

O-hung-sukJu !        !  30 

Kun-ko  Kai  ....  L. 

30 


35^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Seoul  to — 

Tol  Maru 
An-shung-pa  Pal 
Shur-hung     . 
Hung-shou  Wan 
Pong-san 
Whang  Ju     , 
Kur-moun  Tari 
Chi-dol-pa  Pal 
Phyiing-yang 
Mori-ko  Kai  . 
Liang-yaiig  Chang 
Cha-san 
Shou-yang  Yi 
Ha-kai  Oil 
Ka  Chang 
Hu-ok  Kuri 
Tok  Chhon 
Shur-chong 
An-kil  Yung 
Shil-yi  , 

Mou-chin  Tai 
Sun  ChhOn 
Cha-san 

Siang-yang  ChhSn 
An-rhin  Miriok 
Phy6ng-yang 


U. 

35 

as 

30 

30 

40 

40 

30 

40 

30 

30 

30 

30 
40 

35 

35 
40 

30 
30 
20 

40 

25 

35 
30 
40 

30 
20 


Total  land  journey 


1060 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE  HAIR-CROPPING   EDICT 

T^HE  year  1896  opened  for  Korea  in  a  gloom  as  profound 
A  as  that  m  which  the  previous  year  had  closed.  There 
were  small  insurrections  in  all  quarters,  various  officials  were 
killed,  and  some  of  the  rebels  threatened  to  march  on  the 
capital  Japanese  influence  declined,  Japanese  troops  were 
gradually  withdrawn  from  the  posts  they  had  occupied,  the 
engagements  of  many  of  the  Japanese  advisers  and  controllers 
in  departments  expired  and  were  not  renewed,  some  of  the  re- 
forms instituted  by  Japan  during  the  period  of  her  ascendency 
died  a  natural  death,  there  was  a  distinctly  retrograde  move- 
ment,  and  government  was  disintegrating  all  over  the  land 

The  general  agitation  in  the  country  and  several  of  the  more 
serious  of  the  outbreaks  had  a  cause  which,  while  to  our  think- 
ing It  is  ludicrous,  shows  as  much  as  anything  else  the  intense 
conservatism  oi  pung-kok  or  custom  which  prevails  among  the 
Koreans.     The  cause  was  an  attack  on  the  "  Top  Knot "  by  a 
Royal  Edict  on  3ot!i  December,  1895  !     This  set  the  country 
aflame  !    The  Koreans,  who  had  borne  on  the  whole  quietly 
the  ascendency  of  a  hated  power,  the  murder  of  their  Queen 
and  the  practical  imprisonment  of  their  King,  found  the  at- 
tack on  their  hair  more  than  they  could  stand.     The  topknot 
IS  more  to  a  Korean  than  the  queue  is  to  a  Chinese.     The 
queue  to  the  latter  may  be  a  sign  of  subjugation  or  of  loyalty 
to  the  Government  and  that  is  all,  and  the  small  Chinese  boy 
wears  it  as  soon  as  his  hair  is  long  enough  to  plait. 

To  the  Korean  the  Top  Knot  means  nationality,  antiquity 
(some  say  of  five  centuries,  others  of  2,000  years),  sanctity 

359 


3^0  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

derived  from  antiquity,   entrance  on  manhood  socially  and 
egally  even  though  he  may  be  a  child  in  years,  the  assump- 
t.on  of  two  names  by  which  in  addition  to  his  family  name  he 
IS  afterwards  known,  and  by  which  he  is  designated  on  the  an- 
cestral  tablets  marriage  is  intimately  bound  up  with  it,  as  is 
ancestral  worship,  and  as  has  been  mentioned  in  the  chapter 
on  marnage  a  Korean  without  a  Top  Knot,  even  if  in  middle 
•fe,  can  only  be  treated  as  a  nameless  and  irresponsible  boy. 
In  a  few  cases  a  Korean,  to  escape  from  this  stage  of  disre- 
spect, scrapes  together  enough  to  pay  for  the  Top  Knot  cere- 

sl2 ri      T:'-'""'  ^'''  ""^  ^°"«  ^°^*'  -hich  are  their 
sequence,  though  he  ,s  too  poor  to  support  a  family,  but  the 

lop  Knot  in  nmety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  is  only  as- 
sumed on  marnage,  without  which  the  wearer  has  the  title  of 
"a  half  man  "  bestowed  on  him  I 

The  ceremonies  at  the   'Investiture  of  the  Top  Knot"  de- 
serve a  brief  notice  as  among  the  most  important  of  the  singu- 
larities of  the  nation.     When  the  fatlier  and  family  have  de- 
cided that  a  boy  shall  be  "invested,"  which  in  nearly  all 
cases  is  on  the  verge  of  his  marriage,  men's  clothes,  the  hat, 
mang-kuft,  etc.,  are  provided  to  the  limits  of  the  family  purse 
and  the  astrologers  are  consulted,  who  choose  a  propitious  day 
and  hour  for  the  ceremony,  as  well  as  the  point  of  the  compass 
which  the  chief  actor  is  to  face  during  its  progress.     The  fees 
of  the  regular  astrologer  are  very  high,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
poor,  the  blind  sorcerer  is  usually  called  in  to  decide  on  these 
important  points. 

When  the  auspicious  day  and  hour  arrive  the  family  assem- 
bles, but  as  It  is  a  family  matter  only,  friends  are  not  invited 
Luck  and  j^rosperity  and  a  number  of  sons  are  essential  for  the 
Master  of  the  Ceremonies.  If  the  father  has  been  so  blessed 
he  acts  as  such,  if  not,  an  old  friend  who  has  been  more  lucky 
acts  for  h.m.  The  candidate  for  the  distinction  and  privileges 
of  manhood  ir  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  seated  on 
the  floor,  great  care  being  taken  that  he  faces  the  point  of  the 


I: 


The  Hair-cropping  Edict 


361 


/ 


compass  which  has  been  designated,  otherwise  he  would  have 
bad  luck  from  that  day  forward.  With  much  ceremony  and 
due  deliberation  the  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  proceeds  to  un- 
wind the  boy's  massive  plait,  shaves  a  circular  spot  three  inches 
in  diameter  on  the  crown  of  his  head,  brings  the  whole  hair 
up  to  this  point,  and  arranges  it  with  strings  into  a  firm  twist 
from  two  and  a  half  to  four  inches  in  length,  which  stands  up 
from  the  head  slightly  forwards  like  a  horn.  The  mang-kun, 
fillet,  or  crownless  skullcap  of  horsehair  gauze,  coming  well 
down  over  the  brow,  is  then  tied  on,  and  so  tightly  as  to  pro- 
duce a  permanent  groove  in  the  skin,  and  headaches  for  some 
time.  The  hat,  secured  by  its  strings,  is  then  put  on,  and  the 
long  wide  coat,  and  the  boy  rises  up  a  man.'  The  new  man 
bows  to  each  of  his  relations  in  regular  order,  beginning  with 
his  grandfather,  kneeling  and  placing  his  hands,  palms  down- 
ward, on  the  floor,  and  resting  his  forehead  for  a  moment  upon 
them. 

He  then  offers  sacrifices  to  his  deceased  ancestors  before  the 
ancestral  tablets,  lighted  candles  in  high  brass  candlesticks  be- 
ing placed  on  each  side  of  the  bowls  of  sacrificial  food  or  fruit, 
and  bowing  profoundly,  acquaints  them  with  the  important 
fact  that  he  has  assumed  the  Top  Knot.  Afterwards  he  calls 
on  the  adult  male  friends  of  his  family,  who  for  the  first  time 
receive  him  as  an  equal,  and  at  night  there  is  a  feast  in  his 
honor  in  his  father's  house,  to  which  all  the  family  friends  who 
have  attained  to  the  dignity  of  Top  Knots  are  invited. 

The  hat  is  made  of  fine  "  crinoline  "  so  that  the  Top  Knot 
may  be  seen  very  plainly  through  it,  and  weighs  only  an  ounce 
and  a  half.  It  is  a  source  of  ceaseless  anxiety  to  the  Korean. 
If  it  gets  wet  it  is  ruined,  so  that  he  seldom  ventures  to  stir 
abroad  without  a  waterproof  cover  for  it  in  his  capacious 
sleeve,  and  it  is  so  easily  broken  and  crushed,  that  when  not 
in  use  it  must  be  kept  or  carried  in  a  wooden  box,  usually 

>  In  chapter  ix.  p.  114,  there  is  a  short  notice  of  what  is  involved  in 
the  transformation. 


.1. 


3^2  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

ccjjiijg  on  the  hat  is  a  mark  of  resoect      Cnurt  ^ffi  •  i 

appear    n  the  cnvpr^.Vr.'.  .      ^'^^'-     '-ourt  officials 

HP  .»r  in    ne  sovereign  s  presence  with  their  hats  on   anH  f»,« 

Korean  on  v  takes  it  nff  in  ^i,^  '  ^""  ^"^ 

friends     Th/  ^  company  of  Lis  most  intimate 

totedi th^L :; rad?""r  ^'^ ^^^ ^"°^ ^^ °^-' 

or  the  youn,  s:e^rr  ^.s^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^ 

ornaments.     There  is  nn  nfiT^r    •  °'^.^  ^"^"  <=0'"bs  as  its 

iiicre  IS  no  other  single  artirl#>  nf  «,oi« 

the  Korean  Top  Knot  '  ^  '°  '°  tenaciously,  as 

On   an    "institution"   so    veneraterl    nn^    ♦■       l 
and  so  bound  ud  Avith  v         ^^"^"^^^^^    and   time-honored, 

though  remarkabiv  d  Vf  r'?  "'''""'''^^  ^'^^  ^'^^  Korean, 

practicallyabolist-  g  the  Too  K  ot'rnl'''''"'"'  ^ 
The  measure  h.H  h    *"^^^°P  ^"°^'  ^s»  I'ke  a  thunderbolt. 

Who  rar;::„''-„^  Ar.:  :rrr;„^r,fa''\""^^"' 

»Ppor,,  and  had  teen  disc,  sed  byLcZStZ^T'^'' 
"as  regarded  with  such  diseust  bv  Z  „  ,  '  "'"'"'"'"'"g' 
Gover„„,e„,  was  afraid  to  eXce't  O,  "  t' '"?'  '"''  "" 
.he  decree™  issued,  .hr  re  0^°'^'';/.^';™ '"'■•'« 
entered  the  Council  rh.rr^u         \.  T  *^^  J^"n-ren-tai 

pelled  to  endor  ;       aifd  )f '  TT'"^  "  P'"'^^"^^'  ^^«  ^^o"'" 
p  lu  cnaorse  it,  and  he,  the  Crown  Prince   the  Tr.;  w 

--.a/dXo?a^'h?s:-:^„rsXro: 


The  Hair-cropping  Edict 


3^>3 


people  alike,  to  follow  his  example  and  identify  themselves 
with  the  spirit  of  progress  which  had  induced  His  Majesty 
to  take  this  step,  and  thus  place  his  country  on  a  footing  of 
equality  with  the  other  nations  of  the  world  ! 
The  Home  Office  notifications  were  as  follows : 

Translation 
The  present  cropping  of  the  hair  being  a  measure  both  advantageous  to 
the  preservation  of  health  and  convenient  for  the  transaction  of  business 
our  sacred  Lord  the  King,  having  in  view  both  administrative  reform  and 
national  aggrandizement,  has,  by  taking  the  lead  in  his  own  person,  set  us 
an  example.  All  the  subjects  of  Great  Korea  should  respectfully  conform 
to  His  Majesty's  purpose,  and  the  fashion  of  their  clothing  should  be  as 
set  forth  below : — 

1.  During  national  mourning  the  hat  and  clothing  should,  until  the  ex- 
piration  of  the  term  of  mourning,  be  white  in  color  as  before. 

2.  The  fillet  {mangkun)  should  be  abandoned. 

3.  There  is  no  objection  to  the  adoption  of  foreign  clothing. 

(Signed)  Yu-kil  Chun, 

I  ith  moon.  15th  day.  ^'''"^  ^'"'^  ^^''''''"'' 

No.  2 
In  the  Proclamation  which  His  Majesty  graciously  issued  to-day  (nth 
moon,  15th  day)  are  words,  "  We,  in  cutting  Our  hair,  are  setting  an  ex- 
ample to  Our  subjects.  Do  you,  the  multitude,  identify  yourselves  with 
Our  design,  and  cause  to  be  accomplished  the  great  work  of  establishing 
equality  with  the  nations  of  the  earth." 

At  a  time  of  reform  such  as  this,  when  we  humbly  peruse  so  spirited  a 
proclamation,  among  all  of  us  subjects  of  Great  Korea  who  does  not 
weep  for  gratitude,  and  strive  his  utmost  ?  Earnestly  united  in  heart  and 
mind,  we  earnestly  expect  a  humble  conformity  with  His  Majesty's  pur- 
poses of  reformation. 

(Signed)  Yu-KiL  Chun, 

Acting  Home  Minister. 
504th  year  since  the  founding  of  the  Dynasty, 
nth  moon,  15th  day. 

Among  the  reasons  which  rendered  the  Top  Knot  decree 
detestable  to  the  people  were,  that  priests  and  monks,  who,  in- 
stead of  being  held  in  esteem,  are  regarded  generally  as  a 


'a 


3^4  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

•juisance  to  be  tolerated,  wear  their  hair  closely  cropped  and 
the  Ed.ct  was  believed  to  be  an  attempt  instigated  by  Cn  o 
compel  Koreans  to  look  like  Japanese,  and  adopt  jlpanee 
customs.  So  strong  was  the  popular  belief  that  it  w  sioTapan 
^a  Korea  owed  the  denationalizing  order,  that  in  the  maC 
ot  act^rf  "i"'"  '"'P  """^  Riots  it  was  evidenced  by 
murder  '  '°  '''  -^^P^""^'  '^^^"^"^»>^  --''-g  »' 

The  rural  districts  were  convulsed.     Officials  even  of  the 
h.ghest  ra.,k  found  themselves  on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma      If 
they  cut  their  hair,  they  were  driven  from  their  lucraTi^e  posts 
lt:\i;n':h  ^'"'"'"r-^  ^"  '---'  instanceTlostth 
by  the  Cabmet.     In  one  province,  on  the  arrival  from  Seoul 
of  a  new,y.appo.nted  mandarin  with  cropped  hair,  he  wt 
met  by  a  great  concourse  of  people  ready/or  the  w^rst  who 
informed  him  that  they  had  hitherto  been  ruled  bra  Korean 
man,  and  would  not  endure  a  "Monk  Magistrate,'' o„wS 
he  prudently  retired  to  the  capital.  «"  wnicn 

diffi^I  f'l''^"^^'''  '"""^  ""''"  ^"'  '^°P  K"°t  complexities  and 

o  her      t    ^T'''"''''  ""''""^^'  ^'^^'^^'-^  -'^^hists,  and 
others,  who  had  come  to  Seoul  on  business,  and  had  been 

Wood  an?     "1  "''  T''  '"^  '^  ^^'"^"-^  *°  ^^^-r  'o- 
Wood  and  country  produce  did  not  come  in,  and  the  price  of 

the  necessanes  of  life  rose  seriously.     Many  men  who  prLed 

he  honor  of  enter.ng  the  Palace  gates  at  the  New  Year  feigned 

.  Iness,  but  were  sent  for  and  denuded  of  their  hair    The 

Palace  ..:d  at  the  oftic.al  residences ;  even  servants  were  not 

able  tc  T:  ""':''  ^°^^'^"   Representatives  were 

unable  to  present  themselves  at  the  Palace  on  New  Year's 
Day  because  their  chairmen  were  unwilling  to  meet  the  shears. 
A  father  po.soned  himself  from  grief  and  humiliation  because 
h  s  two  sons  had  submitted  to  the  decree.  The  foundations 
ot  social  order  were  threatened  when  the  Top  Knot  fell  I 


The  Hair-cropping  Edict 


3^>J 


People  wb-  had  had  their  hair  cropped  did  not  dare  to  ven- 
ture far  from  Seoul  lest  they  should  be  exposed  to  the  violence 
of  the  rural  population.  At  Chun  Chhoii,  50  miles  from  the 
capital,  when  the  Governor  tried  to  enforce  the  ordinance,  the 
people  rose  en  masse  and  murdered  him  and  his  wiiole  estab- 
lishment, afterwards  taking  possession  of  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding country.  As  policemen  with  their  shears  were  at  the 
Seoul  gates  to  enforce  the  decree  on  incomers,  and  peasants 
who  had  been  cropped  on  arriving  did  not  dare  to  return  to 
t.eir  homes,  prices  rose  so  seriously  by  the  middle  of  January, 
1896,  that  "trouble"  in  the  capital  was  expected,  and  an- 
other order  was  issued  that  "  country  folk  were  to  be  let  alone 
at  that  time." 

Things  went  from  bad  to  worse,  till  on  the  nth  of  Febru- 
ary, 1896,  the  whole  Far  East  was  electrified  by  a  sensational 
telegram—"  The  King  of  Korea  has  escaped  from  his  Palace, 
and  is  at  the  Russian  Legation." 

On  that  morning  the  King  and  Crown  Prince  in  the  dim 
daybreak  left  the  Kyeng-pok  Palace  in  closed  box  chairs,  such 
as  are  used  by  the  Palace  waiting-women,  passed  through  the 
gates  without  being  suspected  by  the  sentries,  and  reached  the 
Russian  Legation,  the  King  pale  and  trembling  as  he  entered 
the  spacious  suite  of  apartments  which  for  more  than  a  year 
afterwards  offered  him  a  secure  asylum.     The  Palace  ladies 
who  arranged  the  escape  had  kept  their  counsel  well,  and  had 
caused  a  number  of  chairs  to  go  in  and  out  of  the  gates  early 
and  late  during  the  previous  week,  so  that  the  flight  failed  to 
attract  any  attention.     As  the  King  does  much  of  his  work  at 
night  and   retires  to  rest   in  the  early   morning,   the  ever 
yigdant  Cabinet,  his  jailers,  supposed  him  to  be  asleep,  and 
It  was  not  until  several  hours  later  that  his  whereabouts  became 
known,  when  the  organization  of  a  new  Cabinet  was  pro- 
gressing, and  Korean  dignitaries  began  to  be  summoned  into 
the  Royal  presence, 
The  King,  on  gaining  security,  at  once  reassuraed  his  long- 


3^6  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

lost  prerogatives,  which  have  never  since  been  curbed  in  th. 
^^htest  degree.  The  irredeemable  Orientalisrof  th"  two 
following  proclamations  which  were  posted  over  the  city  withT,^ 
a  few  hours  of  his  escape  warrants  their  insertion  in "ufir.!!. 

Royal  Proclamation 
Translation 

bone  and  flesh    oTXas'y  of  ^h  "  ^^  T''  '^  "^°^^  °^  ^^  °- 

poverished.     These  facts  make  T  r!  .  i    v.       ,  ^  ''^^"  gradually  im- 

troubles  have  ^LToZ^J^TZ  "t""''"' '''' '^'''^'-  «"' '^ese 
giving  rise  to  rasca^y  and'blute  leaZ  ^".'^"'^"'^  ^"'  ''''-'''' 
Our  own  fault  from  the  first  to  thellt     '"'      "    """•    ^"''^^'^  '^^" 

effI;T;:L';:eThrwS  r  '""^'^l  ^-^^^^'^  ^singupinnghteous 
enced  may  inv  ^or  t  tls  aV  a"  fha't  T  "''  '''  '"^"'^''°"^  "P^'" 
This  accords  with  th    prh^S 

afteralongpressureXrrtteXs'rrr;^^^^  ^^''  T''^ 
verses.     We  shall  endeavor  to  be  me  ciLl      No  n!  7    .""'  "''"  ''- 

As  to  the  cutting  of  the  Top  Knots-what  can  We  sav  ?     T    •.       ,, 
urgent  matter  ?    The  traitor*  :.„  nc-      r  ^ '    ^^  ''  ^^'^^  ^n 

the  affair.     That  this 11?'    ^  "^'"V°"""  ""''  '^°^^<='°"'  ^^""g^t  about 

well  known^  a,  '  No  Tt  Z  T  T""''  ^"^  ^'"  '^^  ""  ^-^*. 
througheut  the  c^untr;  movV,  .  •  T  "'"^  ''^^  conservative  subjects 
as  they  have  cir  X  7^  rr  '■'^''*'°"'  indignation,  should  rise  „p, 

other/until  tCe^tl^^^^^^  -'  -^-^  ^o  one  an'-' 

^-ce.  Thet^itorsi:i^;:^:-::--^-;^es 


he 
vo 
in 


The  Hair-cropping  Edict  367 

By  order  of  His  Majesty, 

(Signed)        Pak-chung  Yang, 

Aain^  Home  and  Prime  Minister. 
"th  day,  and  moon,  1st  year  of  Kon-yang. 

Proclamation  to  the  Soldiers 
conspiracy     Wa  have  7     r  "      ™"""'  '"'"""'"e "'  ■"  ""'k" 

RcpLnLi:rirr.rCa;L^^^^^^^  ^--  - 

doned,  and  shall  not  be  held  answerable      n  !'  ""■'  ""  J'^'"- 

at  once  and^rTng  li'el;  ''°'  '^"'  ''""-^^"S  ^'^'»'  ^"»  "^  their  heads 

You  (soldiers)  attend  us  at  the  Russian  Legation, 
nth  day,  2nd  moon,  ist  year  of  Kon-yang. 

Royal  Sign. 

peoTll-  °"  ?'''  "l  "'  ""^  ^^'-  '"-J  "••"^  ">»^"*  of 
,h2    fT  -^''?'"«^  ""  "^^  of  "'^  hair-cropping  order 

Dlace  ir  Jl  ^'^^  s'f^e'-the  Prime  Minister,  who  had  kept  his 

commerce.     The  mob,  infuriated,  and  regarding  the  Premier 


'  4 


.•* 


3^8  Korea  and  Her  Neiglibors 

as  the  author  of  the  tlow„fall  of  the  Top  Knot,  gave  itself  „p  to 
unmitigated  savagery,  insulting  and  mutilating  the  dead  bodies 
in  a  manner  absolutely  fiendish.     Another  of  the  Cabinet  was 
rescued  by  Japanese  sol.liers,  and  the  other  traitorous  members 
ran   away.     A   Cabinet,   chiefly   new,    was   installed,  prison 
doors  were  opened,  and  the  inmates,  guilty  and  innocent  alike 
were  released,  strict  orders  were  given  by  the  King  that  the 
Japanese  were  to  be  protected,  one  having  already   fallen  a 
victim  to  the  fury  of  the  populace,  and  before  night  fell  on 
Seoul  much  of  the  work  of  the  previous  six  months  had  been 
undone,  and  the  Top  Knot  had  triumphed.* 

How  the  Korean  King,  freed  from  the  strong  influence  of 
the  Queen  and  the  brutal  control  of  his  mutinous  officers, 
used  h.s  freedom  need  not  be  told  here.  It  was  supposed  just 
after  his  escape  that  he  would  become  "a  mere  tool  in  the 
hands  of  the  Russian  Minister,"  but  so  far  was  this  from  being 
the  case,  that  before  a  year  had  passed  it  was  greatly  desired 
by  many  that  Mr.  Waeber  would  influence  him  against  the 
bad  in  statecraft  and  in  favor  of  the  good,  and  the  cause  of 
h.s  determination  not  to  bias  the  King  in  any  way  remains  a 
mystery  to  this  day. 

The  roads  which  led  to  the  Russian  Legation  were  guarded 

by  Korean  soldiers,  but  eighty  Russian  marines  were  quartered 

in  the  compound  and  held  the  gates,  while  a  small  piece  of 

artillery  was  very  much  en  tvidence  on  the  terrace  below  the 

King  s  windows  I     He  had  an  abundant  entourage.    For  some 

months  the  Cabinet  occupied  the  ballroom,  and  on  the  terrace 

and  round  the  King's  apartments  there  were  always  numbers 

of  Court  officials  and  servants  of  all  grades,  eunuchs,  Palace 

women,  etc.,  while  the  favorites,  the  ladies  Om  and  Pak,  who 

assisted  in   his  escape,  were  constantly  to  be  seen  in  his 

vicmity. 

Revelling  in  the  cheerfulness  and  security  of  his  surround- 

^m^^  ]  ^'''  ''''  '^'  '^'"^  "^'^  ""'•^"''^  adornment  seemed  to  have  re- 
samed  its  former  proportions. 


The  Hair-croppliig  Edict 


3^^9 


ings,  the  King  sliortly  built  a  Palace  (to  which  he  removed  in 
the  spring  of  1897),  surrounding  the  tablet-house  of  the  Queen 
and  actually  in  Chong-dong,  the  European  quarter,  its  grounds 
adjoining  those  of  the  English  and  U.  S.  Legations.  To  the 
security  of  this  tablet-house  the  remains  of  the  Queen,  supposetl 
to  consist  only  of  the  bones  of  one  finger,  were  removed  on  a 
lucky  day  chosen  by  the  astrologers  with  much  pomp. 

On  this  occasion  a  guard  of  eighty  Russian  soldiers  occupied 
a  position  close  to  the  Royal  tent,  not  far  from  one  in  which 
the  Foreign  Representatives,  with  the  noteworthy  exception  of 
the  Japanese  Envoy,  were  assembled.  RoUed-up  scroll  por- 
traits of  the  five  immediate  ancestors  of  the  King,  each  en- 
closed in  a  large  oblong  palanquin  of  gilded  fretwork,  and  pre- 
ceded by  a  crowd  of  officials  in  old  Court  costume,  filed  past 
the  Royal  tent,  where  the  King  did  obeisance,  and  the  Rus- 
-!an  Guard  presented  arms.  This  was  only  the  first  part  of 
the  ceremony. 

Later  a  colossal  catafalque,  containing  the  fragmentary  re- 
mams  of  the  murdered  Queen,  was  dragged  through  the  streets 
from  the  Kyeng-pok  Palace  by  700  men  in  sackcloth,  preceded 
and  followed  by  a  crowd  of  Court  functionaries,  also  in  mourn- 
>ng,  and  escorted  by  Korean  drilled  troops.     The  King  and 
Crown  Prince  received  the  procession  at  the  gate  of  the  new 
Kyeng-wun  Palace,  and  the  hearse,  after  being  hauled  up  to  the 
end  of  a  long  platform  outside  the  Spirit  Shrine,  was  tracked 
by  ropes  (for  no  hand  might  touch  it)  to  the  interior,  where  it 
rested  under  a  canopy  of  white  silk,  and  for  more  than  a  year 
received  the  customary  rites  and  sacrifices  from  the  bereaved 
husband  and  son.     The  large  crowd  in  the  streets  was  orderly 
and  silent.     The  ceremony  was  remarkable  both  for  the  re- 
vival of  picturesque  detail  and  of  practices  which  it  was  sup- 
posed had  become  obsolete,  such  as  the  supporting  of  officials 
on  their  ponies  by  retainers,  or  when  on  foot  by  having  their 
arms  propped  up. 

In  July,  1896,  Mr.  J.  M'Leavy  Brown.  LL.D.,  Chief  Com- 


370  Korea  ami  Her  Neighbors 

control  o  all  payn.ents  o..t  of  the  Treasury,  and  having  gained 
considerable  n.s.ght  into  the  con.piexities  of  financial  corrup 
t.on.  addressed  h.mself  in  earnest  to  the  reform  of  abuses,  and 
with  most  beneficial  results. 

In  September  a  Council  of  State  of  fourteen  members  was 
substitued  for  the  Cabinet  of  Ministers  organized  unde  Jap 

Many  of  the  attempts  made  by  the  Japanese  during  their  as- 
cendency to  reform  abuses  were  allowed  to  lapse.    The  co  ntry 

haks.     The  Minister  of  the  Household  and  other  Royal  favor- 

ma  most  unblushing  manner  after  the  slight  checks  ,  hich  had 
been  imposed  on  this  most  deleterious  custom,  and  the  sover- 

ally  safe,  and  free  from  Japanese  or  other  control,  he  reverted 

leZ7JT  1°  *''  '"'•'""  ""'  ''^  ^>^"-^>''  -^^  'n  spite  of 

InTt    '.      ;  "P^  '"'  '"^'^°^''>''  ^^'"g"^'^  -«  -'  absolute 
monarch     his  edicts  law.  his  will  absolute.     Meanwhile  Japan 
was  gradually  effacing  herself  or  being  effa<ed.  and  whatever 
mfluence  she  lost  ,n  Korea.  Russia  gained,  out  the  advantagi 
of  the  change  were  not  obvious.  *^ 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  REORGANIZED  KOREAN  GOVERNMENT* 

'pHE  Old  system  of  Government  in  Korea,  which,  with  but 

2  o  the  present  dynasty  until  the  second  half  of  ,894  w.s 
mode  led  on  that  of  the  Ming  Emperors  of  China.  '2  kZ 
was  absohue  as  well  in  practice  as  in  theory,  but  to  assL  him 
n  governn,g  there  was  a  B.i.Aye.,  P,,  commonly  tZat  d 
CabmeN  composed  of  a  so-called  Premier,  and  S  n  ortd 
Jnmor  M.n.sters  of  S.ate.  under  whom  were  Senior  a      J  l' 

rirr       u"      ^""^''°"^'-'^«.  the  Governmct  being  con 

S    m'o    Is^ta^P^  ",'"  '^''"^'  ^'^  ^'^"  ^«^-'  !<--". 
added       er'  r        '  ^""'^'^"'^"''  «"d  Works,  to  which  were 

!nH  M       Vi"  °P'"'"^  °^  ''^'  ^"""t'-y  to  foreigners.  Foreign 

u  de  ;7  prf  r  ""T' ''' ''''''''  ^^'^"  ^'^  H--  s 

^he  n  1^     .?'^  °^  "  P^^^-"^"'  ^"d  ambitious  cousin  of 

the  Queen.  Mm  Yeng-chyun,  began  to  draw  to  itself  all  ad 

r;c  it'::  r'e^^^^^^^  'rf  °"  '•^^°""'^' '--' 

f    f       luiout  restraint.     Of  the  remaining  offices  which 
Trll^'antCcT  '"LT""""  ''"™"  "—-Eduction, 

H.R  M  -s  Acl„;  V      r   ^T'"'"'"'"''  •'^  W-  H.  Wilkinson.  Esq..  lately 

37 » 


372 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


were  seated  in  the  Metropolis  the  chief  were  the  Correctional 
Tribunal,  an  office  of  the  first  rank  which  took  cognizance  of 
the  offences  of  officials,  and  the  Prefecture  of  Seoul  which  had 
charge  of  all  municipal  matters. 

Korea  was  divided  into  eight  Provinces,  each  under  the  con- 
trol of  a  Governor,  aided  by  a  Civil  and  Military  Secretary 
Magistrates  of  different  grades  according  to  the  size  of  the 
magistracies  were  appointed  under  him,  five  fortress  cities, 
however,  being  independent  of  provincial  jurisdiction.  The 
principal  tax,  the  land-tax,  was  paid  in  kind,  and  the  local 
governments  had  very  considerable  control  over  the  local  rev- 
enues. There  were  provincial  military  and  naval  forces  with 
large  staffs  of  officers,  and  Boards,  Offices,  and  Departments 
Hinumeral  under  Government,  each  with  its  legion  of  super- 
numeraries. 

The  country  was  eaten  up  by  officialism.  It  is  not  only  that 
abuses  without  number  prevailed,  but  the  whole  system  of 
Government  was  an  abuse,  a  sea  of  corruption  without  a  bot- 
tom or  a  shore,  an  engine  of  robbery,  crushing  the  life  out  of 
all  industry.  Offices  and  justice  were  bought  and  sold  like 
other  commodities,  and  Government  was  fast  decaying,  the 
one  principle  which  survived  being  its  right  to  prey  on  the 
governed. 

The  new  order  of  things,  called  by  the  Japanese  the  "Ref- 
ormation,"  dates  from  the  forcible  occupation  of  the  Kyeng- 
pok  Palace  by  Japanese  troops  on  the  23rd  of  July,  1894. 
The  constitutional  changes  which  have  subsequently  been  pro^ 
mulgated  (though  not  always  carried  out)  were  initiated  by 
the  Japanese  Minister  in  Seoul,  and  reduced  to  detail  by  the 
Japanese  "advisers"  who  shortly  arrived;  and  Japan  is  en- 
titled to  the  credit  of  having  attempted  to  cope  with  and  rem- 
edy the  manifold  abuses  of  the  Korean  system,  and  of  having 
bequeathed  to  the  country  the  lines  on  which  reforms  are  now 
being  earned  out.     It  was  natural,  and  is  certainly  not  blame- 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Government    373 

worthy,  that  the  Japanese  had  in  view  the  assimilation  of  Ko- 
rean polity  to  that  of  Japan. 

To  bring  about  the  desired  reorganization,  Mr.  Otori,  at 
that  time  the  Japanese  Minister,  induced  the  King  to  create 
an  Assembly,  which,  whatever  its  ultimate  destiny,  was  to 
form  meanwhile  a  Department  for  "  the  discussion  of  all  mat- 
ters grave  and  trivial  within  the  realm."  The  Prime  Minister 
was  its  President,  and  the  number  of  its  members  was  limited 
to  twenty  Councillors.  A  noteworthy  feature  in  connection 
with  it  was  that  it  invited  suggestions  from  outsiders  in  the 
form  of  written  memoranda. 

It  met  for  the  first  time  on  the  30th  of  July,  1894,  and  for 
the  last  on  the  29th  of  October  of  the  same  year.  It  was 
found  impossible,  either  by  payment  or  Royal  orders,  to  secure 
a  quorum  ;  and  after  the  Vice-Minister  of  Justice,  one  of  the 
few  Councillors  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  proceedings, 
was  murdered  two  days  after  the  last  meeting,  as  was  believed, 
by  an  agent  of  the  reactionary  party,  it  practically  expired, 
and  was  dissolved  by  Royal  Decree  on  the  17th  of  December, 
1894,  and  a  reconstituted  Privy  Council  took  its  place.  Those 
of  its  Resolutions,  however,  which  had  received  the  Royal  as- 
sent bf^came  law,  and  unless  repealed  or  superseded  are  still 
binding. 

These  Resolutions  appeared  in  the  Government  Gazette,  an 
institution  of  very  old  standu:g,  imitated,  like  most  things  else, 
from  China.  This  was  prepared  by  the  Court  of  Transmis- 
sion, a  Palace  Department,  the  senior  members  of  which 
formed  the  channel  of  communication  between  the  King  and 
the  official  body  at  large,  and  who,  while  other  high  officials 
could  only  reach  the  throne  by  means  of  personal  memorials 
or  written  memoranda,  were  privileged  to  address  the  King 
viva  voce,  and  through  whom  as  a  rule  his  commands  were 
issued.  Each  day  this  Department  collected  the  various  mem- 
oranda and  memorials,  the  Royal  replies  and  the  lists  of  ap- 
pointments, copies  of  which  when  edited  by  it  formed  the 


:  1 


I 


374  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

access  to  the  Kw<r     , ''°"^'.7"''™>'  began  to  enjoy  direct 
Japanese  di-.t^a„i"onrJV:'af^Uttcer^K  '"  ^ 

wZl;;."'""""  >""  •"  "-'  °J'"^«J''  4'h  n.oon,  .st  day, 

»e«":nr„c:d'rd'rK?o  ^""^^ '"  "■=  °«''='  ^^^-'^ 

been  adhered  to'  li^^  ly^'^T  '"'"  ■""  'o™'"  "»» 
which  ha,e  VLTi  t  /«''  ,"  """''  °f  ""  "^"""'g^' 
of  th.  a.J'ZX^il  'Ltmt  r  ■"^"^  .he  importance 
sided  itf  China  and  Korea      tT  T'"  """^  ''=™  ''■ 

upon  it  is,  that  for  «3  cemurirr  ,'""""«  ^  '°"« 
Royal  Edicts  has  gireH  em  thT  f  r,"""""""  '"  "  "' 
rency  of  Acs  of  PaEem  "^  °'  '^^  "'"  "■'  "'• 

scheme  for  the  reorganization  of  the  Korean 


ut 
er 

}- 

y 

e 

'» 
e 
) 

r 

r 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Government    375 

Government,  which  was  prepared  for  the  most  part  by  the 
Japanese  advisers,  honorary  and  salaried,  who  have  been  en- 
gaged on  the  task  since  1894,  and  which  has  been  accepted 
by  the  King. 

The  first  change  raised  the  status  of  the  King  and  the  Royal 
Family  to  that  of  the  Imperial  Family  of  China.  After  this, 
it  was  enacted,  following  on  the  King's  Oath  of  January, 
1895,  lat  the  Queen  and  Royal  Family  were  no  longer  to 
interfere  in  the  affairs  of  State,  and  that  His  Majesty  would 
govern  by  the  advice  of  a  Cabinet,  and  sign  all  ordinances  to 
which  his  assent  is  given.  The  Cabinet,  which  was,  at  least 
r  oiainally,  located  in  the  Palace,  had  two  aspects— a  Council 
•'  State,  and  a  State  Department,  presided  over  by  the 
Premier. 

I — As  THE  Council  of  State 

The  members  of  the  Cabinet  or  Ministers  of  State  were  the 
Premier,  the  Home  Minister,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs, 
the  Finance  Minister,  the  War  Minister,  the  Minister  of  Edu- 
cation, the  Minister  of  Justice,  and  the  Minister  of  Agricul- 
ture, Trade  and  Industry.  A  Foreign  Adviser  is  supposed  to 
be  attached  to  each  of  the  seven  Departments. 

Ministers  in   Council  were  empowered  to  consider the 

framing  of  laws  and  ordinances ;  estimates  and  balance-sheets 
of  yearly  revenue  and  expenditure;  public  debt,  domestic  and 
foreign;  international  treaties  and  important  conventions; 
disputes  as  to  the  respective  jurisdictions  of  Ministers ;  such 
personal  memorials  as  His  Majesty  might  send  down  to  them ; 
supplies  not  included  in  the  estimates;  appointments  and  pro- 
motions of  high  oJScials,  other  than  legal  or  military ;  the  re- 
tention, abolition,  or  alteration  of  old  customs;  abolition 
or  institution  of  offices,  and,  without  reference  to  their 
special  relations  to  any  one  Ministry,  their  reconstruction  or 
amendment;  the  imposition  of  new  taxes  or  their  alteration ; 
and  the  control  and  management  of  public  lands,  forests, 


37^> 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


k 


buildings,  and  vessels.  All  ordinances  after  being  signed  and 
sealed  by  the  King  required  the  countersign  of  the  Premier. 

The  second  function  of  the  Cabinet  as  a  Department  of 
State  it  is  needless  to  go  into. 

A  Privy  Council  was  established  at  the  close  of  1894  to 
take  the  place  of  the  Deliberative  Assembly  which  had  col- 
lapsed, and  is  now  empowered,  when  consulted  by  the  Cabinet, 
to  inquire  into  and  pass  resolut*  jns  concerning : 

I.  The  framing  of  laws  and  ordinances. 

II.  Questions  which  may  from  time  to  time  be  referred  to  it 
by  the  Cabinet. 

The  Council  consists  of  a  President,  Vice-President,  not 
more  than  fifty  Councillors,  two  Secretaries,  and  four  Clerks. 
The  Councillors  are  appointed  by  the  Crown  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Premier,  and  must  either  be  men  of  rank, 
or  those  who  have  done  good  service  to  the  State,  or  are  ex- 
perts in  politics,  law,  or  economics.  The  Privy  Council  is 
prohibited  from  having  any  correspondence  on  public  matters 
with  private  individuals,  or  with  any  officials  but  Ministers  and 
Vice-Ministers.  The  President  presides.  Two-thirds  of  the 
members  must  be  present  to  form  a  quorum.  Votes  are  given 
openly,  resolutions  are  carried  by  a  majority,  and  any  Council- 
lor dissenting  from  a  resolution  so  carried  has  a  right  to  have 
his  reasons  recorded  in  the  minutes. 

In  the  autumn  of  1896  some  important  changes  were  made. 
A  Decree  of  the  24th  of  September  condemned  in  strong  lan- 
guage the  action  of  "disorderly  rebels,  who  some  three  years 
ago  revolutionized  the  Constitution,"  and  changed  the  name 
of  the  King's  advising  body.  The  decree  ordained  that  the 
Old  name,  translated  Council  of  State,  "should  be  restored, 
and  declared  that  new  regulations  would  be  issued,  which,' 
while  adhering  to  ancient  principles,  would  confirm  such  of 
the  enactments  of  the  previous  three  years  as  in  the  King's 
judgment  were  for  the  public  good."  The  Council  of  State 
was  organized  by  the  first  ordinance  of  a  new  series,  and  the 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Government    377 


preamble,  as  well  as  one  at  least  of  the  sections,  marks  a  dis- 
tinctly retrograde  movement  and  a  reversion  to  the  absolutism 
renounced  in  the  King's  Oath  of  January,  1895.'  It  is  dis- 
tinctly stated  that  "  any  motion  debated  at  the  Council  may  re- 
ceive His  Majesty's  assent,  without  regard  to  the  number  of 
votes  in  its  favor,  by  virtue  of  the  Royal  prerogative;  or 
should  the  debates  on  any  motion  not  accord  with  His  Ma- 
jesty's views,  the  Council  may  be  commanded  to  reconsider 
the  matter."  Resolutions  which  the  King  approves,  on  pub- 
lication in  the  Gazette^  become  law. 

Thus  perished  the  checks  which  the  Japanese  sought  to 
impose  on  the  absolutism  of  the  Crown,  and  at  the  present 
time  the  Royal  will  (or  whim)  can  and  does  override  all  else. 

This  Eui-chyeng  Pu  or  Council,  like  the  Nai  Kak,  its  pred- 
ecessor, is  both  a  Council  of  State,  and  a  State  Department 
presided  over  by  the  Chancellor.  The  members  of  the 
Council  of  State  are  the  Chancellor,  the  Home  Minister,  who 
is,  ex  officio,  Vice- Chancellor,  the  Ministers  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
Finance,  War,  Justice,  and  Agriculture,  five  Councillors,  and 
the  Chief  Secretary.  As  a  State  Department  under  the  Chan- 
cellor, the  staff  consists  of  the  "Director  of  the  General 
Bureau,"  the  Chancellor's  Private  Secretary,  the  Secretary, 
and  eight  clerks. 

The  Council  of  State,  as  now  constituted,  is  empowered,  to 
pass  resolutions  concerning  the  enactment,  abrogation,  altera- 
tion, or  interpretation  of  laws  or  regulations ;  peace  and  war 
and  the  making  of  treaties;  restoration  of  domestic  order; 
telegraphs,  railways,  mines,  and  other  undertakings,  and  ques- 
tions of  compensation  arising  therefrom ;  the  estimates  and 
special  appropriations ;  taxes,  duties,  and  excise ;  matters  sent 
down  to  the  Council  by  special  command  of  the  Sovereign ; 
publication  of  laws  and  regulations  approved  by  the  King. 

The  King,  if  he  so  pleases,  is  present  in  person,  or  may 
send  the  Heir-Apparent  to  represent  him.     The  Chancellor 

I  See  p.  250. 


378 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


presides,  two-thirds  of  the  members  from  a  quorum,  motions 
are  earned  by  a  numerical  majority,  and  finally  a  memorial 
stating  ,n  outline  the  debate  and  its  issue  is  submitted  by  the 
Chancellor  to  the  King,  who  issues  such  commands  as  may 
seem  to  hmi  best,  for,  as  previously  stated,  His  Majesty  is  not 
bound  to  acquiesce  in  the  decision  of  the  majority 

The  Eui-chyeng  Fu  as  a  Department  of  State  through  the 
"Director  of  the  General  Bureau"  has  three  sections- 
Archives,  Gazette,  and  Account.,  and  is  rather  a  recording 
than  an  initiating  office. 

The  scheme  for  the  reconstruction  of  the  Provincial  and 
Metropolitan  Governments  has   introduced  many  important 
changes  and  retrenchments.     The  thirteen  Provinces  are  now 
divided  lino  339  Prefectures,  Seoul  having  a  Government  of  its 
own.     The  vast  entourage  of  prov.ocial  authc-ities  has  been 
reduced,  and  a  Provincial  Governor's  staff  is  now  limited 
nominally  at  least,  to  six  clerks,  two  chief  constables,  thirty 
police,   ten  writers,    four    ushers,    fifteen   messengers,   eight 
coolies,  and  eight  boys.    Ordinances  under  the  head  of  "  Local 
Government  "define  the  jurisdiction,  powers,  duties,  period 
of  office,  salaries,  and  etiquette'  of  all  officials,  along  with 
'  Official  Intercourse.    Ord.  45  amends  some  old  practices  regulating 
the   intercourse  and  correspondence  of  officials.    The  etiqueUe  of  the 
official  call  by  a  newly  appointed  Prefect  on  the  Governor,  on  the  whole 

Vv    rt'  '''"'°"^''  ''  ''  '"  '°'"'  '^"P"'^  simplified.     The  old  fashion 
obliged  the  Magistrate  to  remain  outside  the  yamen  gate,  while  a  large 
folded  sheet  of  white  paper  inscribed  with  his  name,  was  sent  in  to  the 
Oovernor.     The  latter  thereupon  gave  orders  to  his  personal  attendants  or 
ushers  to  admit  the  Magistrate.    The  t^cin,  as  they  were  commonly  styled, 
called  out  "  Sa.ryensr  to  which  the  servants  chanted  a  reply.     The  Gov- 
ernor  being  seated,  the  Magistrate  knelt  outside  the  room  and  bowed  to 
the  ground.     To  this  obeisance  the  Governor  replied  by  raising  his  arms 
over  his  head.     The  Magistrate  was  asked  his  name  and  age,  given  some 
stereotyped  advice,  and  dismissed.     The  Governor  is  for  the  future  to  re- 
turn  the  bow  of  the  Prefect,  and  conversation  is  to  be  conducted  in  terms 
of  mutual  respect,  the  Magistrate  describing  himself  as /.«.>t.««  (»  your 
subordinate  "),  and  addressing  the  Governor  by  his  title. 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Government    379 


many  minor  matters.  It  is  in  this  Department  tliat  the  re- 
forms instituted  by  the  Japanese  are  the  most  sweeping.  Very 
many  offices  were  abolished,  and  all  Government  property  be- 
longing to  the  establishments  of  the  officials  holding  them 
was  ordered  to  be  handed  over  to  officers  of  the  new  re,i^iiiie, 
A  Local  Government  Bureau  was  established  with  sections, 
under  which  local  finance  in  cities  and  towns  and  local  ex- 
penditure of  every  kind  were  to  be  dealt  with.  An  Engineer- 
ing Bureau  dealing  with  civil  engineering  and  a  Land  Survey, 
a  Registration  Bureau  dealing  with  an  annual  census  of  the 
population  and  the  registration  of  lands,  a  Sanitary  Bureau, 
and  an  Accounts  Bureau  form  part  of  the  very  ambitious  Local 
Government  scheme,  admirable  on  paper,  and  which,  if  it 
were  honestly  carried  out,  would  strike  at  the  roots  of  many  of 
the  abuses  which  are  the  curse  of  Korea.  The  whole  pro- 
vincial system  as  reorganized  is  under  the  Home  Office. 

An  important  part  of  the  new  scheme  is  the  definition  of  the 
duties  and  jurisdiction  of  the  Ministers  of  State.  The  Cabinet 
Orders  dealing  with  the  duties  and  discipline  of  officials  at 
large  so  far  issued  are : —     ' 

Order  i.  General  rules  for  the  conduct  of  public  business. 
"      2.  Memorabilia  for  officials. 
"     3.  Resumption  of  office  after  mourning. 
"      4.  Reprimand  and  correction. 
"      5.  Obligation  to  purchase  the  Gazette. 
"     6.  Memorials  to  be  on  ruled  paper. 

The  management  of  public  offices  under  the  new  system  is 
practically  the  same  as  the  Japanese, 

The  Memorabilia  for  Officials  are  as  follows : — 

(rt)  No  official  must  trespass  outside  his  own  jurisdiction. 

(b)  Where  duties  have  been  deputed  to  a  subordinate,  the  latter  must 
not  be  continually  interfered  with. 

(f)  A  subordinate  ordered  to  do  anything  which  in  his  opinion  is  ir- 
regular or  irrelevant  should  expostulate  with  his  senior.  If  the  latter 
holds  by  his  opinion,  the  junior  must  conform. 


;•! 


\\  I 


*■) 


¥\' 


380  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

(0  Officials  n^usT  no   ?Z  L  f       ?'  -/'"''--g  their  superiors, 
them  on  official  business!  ^'""°"''  '""  ""'^''^^^  °r  talk  with 

(/)  Officials  must  be  frank  with  nno  ^r,«n, 

exp"°"  "''  ^"'«'  »""  ■"<•"••>»  -'".  was  even  ™„,. 

n.™.  o„.,  w,u,  .h,  special  ^^ZJ^uZZ,^"'"'' "'  """"• 

An  ordinance  restored  the  hqp  /^f  ♦!,»  .    -r 
■he  ..Ref„™a.i„„ ,..  wt«he:  c     ^d  ^fuuT  ""T,*; 
dress,  or  undress,  and  announced    ha.  Te'i.he    „ffi', 
pnva,e  persons  were  .0  be  compelled  an"  Cf.ot:  t-a^ 

powrd";oru:';^;j:rn:^,°^,^- -f  ■•^'- »- "^^^^^^ 

•oca,  Official  and  poireir  t^a  Jus^''::;''!!:  '";''' 

.-  ^-rettj:xv:-:;;r.:; — ^y 

degrada.fon  of  .he  higher  offlcials  of  h°n  '""  "^ 

Under  ,he  Minis.er^is  a  t"  e  Mi" Le    fj''""'^'  '""'• 

..ons,cus.od,of.heMi„is.er.sa„dD:p:r:„urs,?r;; 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Government    381 

and  despatch  of  correspondence,  and  consultation  of  prec- 
edents, preparation  of  statistics,  compilation  and  preservation 
of  archives." 

In  addition  to  the  Secretariats,  there  are  a  number  of  Bureaux, 
both  Secretariats  and  Bureaux  being,  for  convenience,  subdi- 
vided into  sections,  each  of  which  has  its  special  duties. 

The  Departments  of  Government  are  as  follows : — 

Home  Office 
The  Home  Minister  has  charge  of  matters  concerning  local 
government,  police,  jails,  civil  engineering,  sanitation,  shrines 
and  temples,  surveying,  printing  census,  and  public  charity,  as 
well  as  the  general  supervision  of  the  local  authorities  and  the 
police. 

Foreign  Office 
The  Foreign  Minister  is  vested  with  the  control  of  inter- 
national affairs,  the  protection  of  Korean  commercial  interests 
abroad,  and  the  supervision  of  the  Diplomatic  and  Consular 
Services. 

The  Treasury 

"  The  Minister  for  Finance,  being  vested  with  the  control 
of  the  finances  of  the  Government,  will  have  charge  of  all 
matters  relating  to  accounts,  revenue,  and  expenditure,  taxes, 
national  debts,  the  currency,  banks,  and  the  like,  and  will 
have  supervision  over  the  finances  of  each  local  administra- 
tion "  (Ord.  54,  §1). 

Under  this  Minister  there  is  a  Taxation  Bureau  with  three 
sections — Land  Tax,  Excise,  and  Customs.'    The  ordinances 

>  The  finances  of  Korea  are  now  practically  under  British  management, 
Mr.  J.  M'Leavy  Brown,  LL.  D.,  of  the  Chinese  Imperial  Maritime  Cus- 
toms, and  Chief  Commissioner  of  Customs  for  Korea,  having  undertaken 
in  addition  the  post  of  Financial  Adviser  to  the  Treasury,  and  a  Royal 
Edict  having  been  issued  that  every  order  for  a  payment  out  of  the  na- 
tional purse,  down  to  the  smallest,  should  be  countersigned  by  him. 


if} 


''<* 


f 


.       382  Korea  and  Hrr  Neighbors 

Purse  was  fixed  at  ^5500,000.  ^  Sovere.,;n'.s  Privy 

War  Office 
The  Minister  for  War  whn  m,   »  1 
charge  of  the  military  admi^tutlo;  ^^"-^' ^^^cer,  has 
at  6.C00  men,  and  the  chT     1   'l  of  '"  "'""V"''''  '^^^ 
tlie  army,  and  is  to  exer.  !  ^  '"^"  ^"^  "^^tters  in 

and  all  building    and  Tors     'h'7'""^  °ver  army  divisions, 

n^iii-yarrangeLrarX™^^^^^^^         ^^^^ 
Ministry  of  Education 

Besides  I  Miit''  't°  S  .r''  "'"^  ""■'"'"■=- 
Jur,au.  which  is  coacern«l  Jt  r    '  "'  *'  ^-fe..//,-/, 

ary,  foreign  la„g„ar    "1    ',  '"?"'''  "°™'"'  '"'"™<ii. 

the  selec,io„r.ra„„al„  ^X' "'*''"'"•  ""«'»'"  -"• 

Purchase,  pr^s^rJ^^^rt^^XlT  f  T"^'''  "■« 
printing  of  books  ^'""gement  of  volumes,  and  the 

.ege;ari;t',s:r  iL'i'' r  p'^-^. "-  '^--f--  co.. 

was  to  attend  to  the  TeLl  T,'"''  ""  ""'P""  <"  "'"'^l' 
China,  the  Memorial  rlS'l-f™™.'  '"  ""'"="•  "  '" 
Sages  are  honored,  and^^^'lrnr^rttldforir'  ?"  "' 
books.  The  subjects  for  study  arVthe  .  T.  '^'I^''''"'^ 
'Four  Books  and  Popular  Comment^v  "7  ™  ^T''^'" 

Coiiege  has  been  ^eorga^^^'ld  ^^^-^Xtstt 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Govcrnnunt    383 

between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  forty,  "  of  good  cliaracter, 
persevering,  intelligent,  and  well  acciuainted  with  affairs,"  are 
in  addition  put  through  a  course  of  Korean  and  foreign  an- 
nals, Korean  and  foreign  geography,  and  arithmetic. 

Ministry  of  Justice 

The  Minister  of  Justice  has  charge  of  judicial  matters,  par- 
dons and  restorations  to  rank,  instructions  for  public  prosecu- 
tion, and  supervision  over  Special  Courts,  High  Courts,  and 
District  Courts ;  and  the  Department  forms  a  High  Court  of 
Justice  ior  the  hearing  of  certain  appeals. 

Ministry  of  Agriculture,  Tkade,  and  Industry 

The  Minister  of  Agriculture  has  charge  of  all  matters  re- 
lating to  agriculture,  commerce,  industries,  posts,  telegraphs, 
shipping,  and  marine  officers. 

In  this  Department,  besides  the  Minister's  Secretariat,  there 
are  Bureaux  of  Agriculture,  Communications,  Trade,  In- 
dustry, Mining,  and  Accounts.  The  Bureau  of  Agriculture 
contains  Agricultural,  Forest,  and  Natural  Products  sections ; 
that  of  Communications,  Post,  Telegraph,  and  Marine  sec- 
tions ;  and  that  of  Trade  and  Industry  deals  with  Commerce, 
Trading  Corporations,  Weights  and  Measures,  Manufactures, 
and  Factories.  The  Mining  Bureau  has  sections  for  Mines 
and  Geology,  and  the  Bureau  of  Accounts  deals  with  the  in- 
ventories and  expenditure  of  the  Department. 

The  Village  System 

Besides  the  Reorganization  of  these  important  Departments 
of  State,  a  design  for  a  "Village  System,"  organized  as  fol- 
lows, is  to  supersede  that  which  had  decayed  with  the  general 
decay  of  Government  in  Korea. 

The  country  is  now  divided  into  districts  (Kun),  each  Kun 
containing  a  number  of  myert  or  cantons,  each  of  which  in- 
cludes a  number  of  ni  or  villages.     The  old  posts  and  titles  are 


3%  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

honorary.  '    '  "''  ""  h^^hoider..     The  ofBce  I, 

notice,.  "  *''°"  ■«  ''^=I»  'he  bo<,k,  and  issue, 

4.  -ffo'Zry.—Elected  at  the  sam,  ti™.       .u    . 
P«rforra,  the  usual  duties  of  A  "  '^'  Headman  he 

office  for  a  ,e,r  on  g^  ,l:,rr"  "  ""'^^"*"-  =""  """^ 

C.:^.T*1^"::/;^' -°"  (-n.„ne,  are  a 
removable  excent  for  7  <^<^^«'«««/  £^j/4./-  who  is  ir- 

cials,  elected  b^Lcanr  """'  "^'  '''  ''^'  ''^  ^'^^'  of,- 

on  matters  connected 'whh  M  'T""''''  *°  ^^^^  ^^^^'"tions 
holds  or  lands,  santu on  oatrnTb^d"'""^^^^^  °^  '°- 
exchanges,   agricultural  improvement^  '""""""'^  ^'''" 

dykes,  payment  of  taxes  ZefTf'-  '°'""°"   ^°°^^  «"d 
adjustment  of  the    'oZj  ^  """'  ^'^  °^her  calamity, 

The  Headman  whJTcLsZ  ""t'°"^'  ^"^  ^y-'-'' 
vote,  but  the  ix^werTo  ve^  A  7"^  ^"'  "°*  °"'>^  ^  ^^»""« 
of  the  Headman  h  str;efete?^  T'\r ^'  ^^^^^'--^° 
veto  of  the  Mayor  to  tt  Pre  .  .  r'  ^'^°''  ^"^  °^^^  ^^e 
veto  of  the  Prefec    rJZl  u  "  ^''''^  ''''''  °^"  ^he 

AH  resolutions,  hoC;  mu  ,  T'  k  "'''  ^°  ^"^^  ^-""^r- 
the  Home  0«i;e,  tTrZ^hT  P  e?::tt ^G '^''""  ''''  '^ 
's  incumbent  on  the  Prefectural  Pn  m  ''""°' '  ^"^ '* 
in  the  year  ^'^^fectural  Council  to  sit  at  least  twice 


The  Reorganized  Korean  Government    385 

cise  is  now  made  to  include,  besides  ginseng  dues,  what  are 
known  as  "Miscellaneous  Dues,"  viz.  rent  of  glebe  lands,  tax 
on  ruslies  used  in  mat-making,  market  dues  on  firewood  and 
tobacco,  tax  on  kilns,  tax  on  edible  seaweed,  tax  on  grind- 
itones,  up-river  dues,  "v!  taxes  on  fisheries,  salterns,  and 
boats.  All  other  in  }x>sts  »  -ve  been  declared  illegal.  The 
first  Korean  Budget  under  th«;  '■eformed  system  was  published 
in  January,  1896,  a  ul  hewed  an  estimated  revenue  from  all 
sources  of  ^14,809,410. 

The  Palace  Departniciit  underwent  reorganization,  nomi- 
nally at  least,  and  elaborate  schemes  for  me  administration  of 
Royal  Establishments,  State  Temples,  and  Mausolea  were  de- 
vised, and  the  relative  rank  of  members  of  the  Royal  Clan, 
including  ladies,  was  fixed— the  ladies  of  the  King's  Seraglio 
being  divided  into  eight  classes,  and  those  of  the  Crown 
Prince  into  four.  The  number  of  Court  officials  attached  to 
the  different  Royal  Households,  though  diminished,  is  legion. 
Various  ordinances  brought  the  classification  of  Korean 
officials  into  line  with  those  of  Japan.  Every  class  in  tlie 
country,  private  and  official,  has  come  into  the  purview  of 
the  Reorganizers,  and  finds  its  position  (on  paper)  more  or  less 
altered. 

Among  the  more  important  of  the  Edicts  which  have  nom- 
inally become  law  are  the  following  : 

Agreements  with  China  cancelled.  Distinctions  between 
Patrician  and  Plebeian  abolished.  Slavery  abolished.  Early 
Marriages  prohibited.  Remarriage  of  widows  permitted. 
Bribery  to  be  strictly  forbidden.  No  one  tc  be  arrested  with- 
out warrant  for  civil  offences.  Couriers,  mountebanks,  and 
butchers  no  longer  to  be  under  degradation.  Local  Councils 
to  be  established.  New  coinage  issued.  Organization  of 
Police  force.  No  one  to  be  punished  without  trial.  Irregular 
taxation  by  Provincial  Governments  forbidden.  Extortion  of 
money  by  officials  forbidden.  Family  of  a  criminal  not  to  be 
involved  in  his  doom.    Great  modifications  as  to  torture. 


\     ii 


386  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

Superfluous  Paraphernalia  abolished.  School  of  Instruction  in 
Vaccination.  Hair-cropping  Proclamation.  Solar  Calendar 
adopted.  "Drilled  Troops"  (^««-^.«./«/)  abolished.  Lega 
punishments  defined.  Slaughter-Houses  licensed.  Commitfee 
of  Legal  Revision  appointed.  Telegraph  Regulations.  Postal 
Regulatjons.  Railways  placed  under  Bureau  of  Communica- 
tions. These  ordinances  are  a  selection  from  among  several 
hundred  promulgated  since  July,  1894. 

Of  the  reforms  notified  during  the  last  three  and  a  half  years 
several  .ave  not  taken  effect ;  and  concerning  others  there  has 

revl^    Tf'  "?^"^'  '"°^^'"^"*'  ""''^  ^  *-"d«"cy  to 
revert  to  the  abuses  of  the  old  re^me;  and  others  which  were 

taken  m  hand  earnestly,  have  gradually  collapsed,  owing  in 

part  to  the  limpness  of  the  Korean  character,  and  in  part  to 

the  opposition  of  all  in  office  and  of  all  who  hope  for  office  to 

any  measures  of  reform.     Some,  admirable  in  themselves,  at 

present  exist  only  on  paper;  but.  on  the  whole,  the  reorgan- 

ized  system,  though  in  many  respects  fragmentary,  is  a  gr-at 

'^ZTTTl  °"  '^"  ""^^  °"' '  ""^  ''  "^^y  "°*  unreasonabfy  be 
hoped  that  the  young  men,  who  are  now  being  educated  in  en- 
lightened ideas  and  notions  of  honor,  will  not  repeat  the  in- 
iquities of  their  fathers. 


*  ^  '  ■   M 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

EDUCATION  AND  FOREIGN  TRADE 

KOREAN  education  has  hitherto  failer'  to  produce  patriots, 
thinkers,  or  honest  men.  It  has  been  conducted  thus 
In  an  ordinary  Korean  school  the  pupils,  seated  on  the  floor 
with  their  Chinese  books  in  front  of  them,  the  upper  parts  of 
their  bodies  swaying  violently  from  side  to  side  or  backwards 
and  forwards,  from  daylight  till  sunset,  vociferate  at  the 
highest  and  loudest  pitch  of  their  voices  their  assigned  lessons 
from  the  Chinese  classics,  committing  them  to  memory  or  re- 
citing them  aloud,  writing  the  Chinese  characters,  filling  their 
receptive  memories  with  fragments  of  the  learning  of  the 
Chinese  sages  and  passages  of  mythical  history,  the  begoggled 
teacher,  erudite  and  supercilious,  rod  in  hand  and  with  a  book 
before  him,  now  and  then  throwing  in  a  word  of  correction  in 
stentorian  tones  which  rise  above  the  din. 

This  educational  mill  grinding  for  ten  or  more  years  enabled 
the  average  youth  to  aspire  to  the  literary  degrees  which  were 
conferred  at  the  Kwa-ga  or  Royal  Examinations  held  in  Seoul 
up  to  1894,  and  which  were  regarded  as  the  stepping-stones  to 
official  position,  the  great  object  of  Korean  ambition.  There 
is  nothing  in  this  education  to  develop  the  thinking  powers  or 
to  enable  the  student  to  understand  the  world  he  lives  in.  The 
effort  to  acquire  a  difficult  language,  the  knowledge  of  which 
gives  him  a  mastery  of  his  own,  is  in  itself  a  desirable  mental 
discipline,  and  the  ethical  teachings  of  Confucius  and  Mencius, 
however  defective,  contain  much  that  is  valuable  and  true,  but 
beyond  this  little  that  is  favorable  can  be  said. 
Narrowness,  grooviness,  conceit,  superciliousness,  a  false 

387 


If) 

(ft  I 


I  >i 


i  I 


( 

n 


388  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

pride  which  despises  manual  labor,  a  selfish  inH;  -^    r 

yea/old,  a  nV^  tet.  Ii  X '"I  111"^'^°"?  -- 
and  an  estimate  of  women  essen»!!n    ^       .    "^  '"°'^'  '^"^^' 

the  Western  leaven  T-  T"""'"" '  "><^  "orking  of 

«»,  ana  "he'r  ;::Lr:r„t:Mtzir  '°^"- 

some  of  the  desire  fnr  tUi.         ,    t,, T  "'°  ^'^^  country, 

threatened  to  become  a  fl,„  .    '^^^^'^^  *o  stimulate  what 

new  educationarr:e^hXfrf^rr7^^^  ! V"  ^'"^"^°°  '^ 
should  radiate  from  the  capiLi  '  ''"'"""  °^  ^'^'^'^ 

sch?oi::a"Gormtnr?cL/r''\^"^^""^^^  ^-->- 

e.gn  L^nguageTc^o^t  d°M^^^^^^^^  s^hlf  1°'  ^n'''''  '''■ 
Vernacular  and  Mission  Schools  h^  is  the  n'r  ^"'''^'  '''' 
Royal  English  School   with 7      !  ^  before-mentioned 

drilled  by'aBritish  Serge t^^^^^^^^^^  -^"^-ly 

ball  I    These  young  men  in  Lnr      '        """'^  "'^^^^  ^"^t" 

advance  in  knLled^  of  C 1  ^^^^^^^^^  """'  "'  "''' 
instructors.    After  this  cote  t'  ''^'"^^'"^^^  ^'"^dit  on  their 

^"<^r  mis  come  Japanese.  Frenrh   ar,^  i> 
Schools,  at  present  chiefly  linguistic      Mr  b  ',1:  ^        '^"'" 
of  the  Russian  School,  was  a  caotain  nf\    u         ' '"  ^^"'"^^    . 
Russian  army,  and  in  bofh  th.  p  ^  ''^''^  ^"'"^''^  ^^  the    ' 

students  are    Hlled  daUy  b  'Ru^sii:'!^"!^^^^     ^^^^^^^^^ 

Undoubtedly  the  establis'hm  "  ^hfch  han"'"". 
exercising  the  most  Dowerf„i    J  exercised  and  is 

lectuai  i'^^e.::tiz^^^^;:^'^-^'^  '■"^^'- 

the  rearing  of  Useful  Men  "\  V  i  I     °"^^^  ^"  "^"  ^o^ 

This,  which  belon"  tthi'r  "'.'"^^  "^^  ^"^^  ^ing  in  X887. 

Church,  has  haT  S  adva    agtrr.  ""^^'^^'^^  ^^'^P^^ 

pal.  the  Rev  H  G  Annen    if    r       ^'^'''^' °^  °"«  P^'^ci- 

H.  G.  Appenzeller,  for  eleven  years.    It  has  a 


Education  and  Foreign  Trade  389 

Chinese-iS'«-;«7/«  department,  for  the  teaching  of  the  Chinese 
classics,  Sheffield's  Universal  History,  etc.,  a  small  theological 
department,  and  an  English  department,  in  which  reading, 
grammar,  composition,  spelling,  history,  geography,  arithme- 
tic, and  the  elements  of  chemistry  and  natural  philosophy  are 
taught.  Dr.  Jaisohn,  a  Korean  educated  in  America,  has  re- 
cently lectured  once  a  week  at  this  College  on  the  geographical 
divisions  of  the  earth  and  the  political  and  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory of  Europe,  and  has  awakened  much  enthusiasm.  A  pa- 
triotic spirit  is  being  developed  among  the  students,  as  well  as 
something  of  the  English  public  school  spirit  with  its  traditions 
of  honor.  This  College  is  undoubtedly  making  a  decided  im- 
pression, and  is  giving,  besides  a  liberal  education,  a  measure 
of  that  broader  intellectual  view  and  deepened  moral  sense 
which  may  yet  prove  the  salvation  of  Korea.  Christian  in- 
struction is  given  in  Korean,  and  attendance  at  chapel  is  com- 
pulsory. The  pupils  are  drilled,  and  early  in  1897,  during 
the  military  craze,  adopted  a  neat  European  military  uniform. 
There  is  a  flourishing  industrial  department,  which  includes  a 
tri-lingual  press  and  a  book-binding  establishment,  both  of 
which  have  full  employment. 

Early  in  1895  the  Government,  recognizing  the  importance 
of  the  secular  education  given  in  this  College,  made  an  agree- 
ment by  which  it  could  place  pupils  up  to  the  number  of  200 
there,  paying  for  their  tuition  and  the  salaries  of  certain  tutors. 

There  are  other  schools  for  girls  and  boys,  in  which  an  in- 
dustrial training  is  given,  conducted  witi.  some  success  by  the 
same  Mission,  and  the  American  Presbyterians  have  several 
useful  schools,  and  pay  much  attention  to  the  training  of  girls. 

The  Socittt  des  Missions  Etrang^res  has  in  Seoul  an  Or- 
phanage and  two  Boys'  Schools,  with  a  total  of  262  children. 
The  principal  object  is  to  train  the  orphans  as  good  Roman 
Catholics.  In  the  Boys'  Schools  the  pupils  are  taught  to  read 
and  write  Chinese  and  En-mun,  and  to  a  limited  extent  they 
study  the  Chinese  classics.     The  religious  instruction  is  given 


A: 


<■; 


i    I 


n 


39°  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

.ry.  and  ,ear„  JZ  t^^r  ulde"  'r "  '""'  "  '"^  ™"- 
support,  tnter  a  trade  nr  ll  '     '  ^«™'"g  their  own 

ned  ,o  the  son,  of  R„„a„  CathX     A.  Ri        c"' ""■ 

.tLtt;r;-r  --  -  - -Co"  :z 

the  study  of  Tananese  ;,«:!       ^        ',     ''"'^^'''  '^^'nposition, 

Iearning,7nd  Let"    '  on  .         """  f  ^'^  ''""^y  ^^  Western 
6>  'i""  lectures  on  science  and  relimnn      tu-       i      , 

™s_^.nte„ded  b,  i„  Tounde.  .o  „or.  tTc,.£:;t^. 

"oral,.;,  fund:i:Ss^L'„  rtniuisr'"''  ^"  ^^""■"» 

pies  of  patriotism      A  .»,.''  *  '""■>'•  ""''  ">«  Pri""- 

conne Jd  ^>Tr;^^Z7^7^::^Trrr  " 

~ci„Trs.r  r  f  r  V" "--  ~ 

nances,  chanfiine  theTr  1  H        ""  ^^  '"^  '"^'^  ««^™- 
minds  for  lift     Wht  .u^f' ""^  ""<'  *=  '=«">•=  °f  'heir 

on-^"dSr;;:^rti'r:r^^^^^^^ 

crBdneatio„are:^e^rS„ri7-:--— 


Education  and  Foreign  Trade  391 

lish  School,  and  "he  Normal  College,  placed  in  May,  1897, 
under  the  very  efficient  care  of  the  Rev.  H,  B.  Hulbert,  M.A., 
a  capable  and  scholarly  man,  some  of  whose  contributions  to 
our  knowledge  of  Korean  poetry  and  music  have  enriched 
earlier  chapters  of  these  volumes.  Text-books  in  En-mun  and 
teachers  who  can  teach  them  have  to  be  created.  It  is  hoped 
and  expected  that  supply  will  follow  demand,  and  that  in  a 
few  years  the  larger  provincial  towns  will  possess  Intermediate 
or  High  Schools,  and  the  villages  attain  the  advantages  of  ele- 
mentary schools,  all  using  a  uniform  series  of  text-books  in  the 
vernacular.  Chinese  finds  its  place  in  the  curriculu-^,  but  not 
as  the  medium  for  teaching  Korean  and  general  history,  or 
geography  and  arithmetic,  which  must  be  acquired  through 
the  native  tongue. 

In  spite  of  the  somewhat  spasmodic  and  altogether  unscien- 
tific methods  of  the  Education  Department,  it  has  succeeded 
in  getting  the  revived  Normal  College  under  way,  as  well  as  a 
fair  number  of  primary  schools,  where  over  1,000  boys  are 
learning  the  elements  of  arithmetic,  geography,  and  Korean 
history,  with  brief  outlines  of  the  systems  of  government  in 
other  civilized  countries.  Seventy-seven  youths  are  studying 
in  Japan  at  Government  expense,  and  nave  made  fair  progress 
in  languages,  but  are  said  to  show  a  lack  of  mathematical 
aptitude  and  logical  power.  Altogether  the  Korean  educa- 
tional outlook  is  not  without  elements  of  hopefulness. 

Though  the  Foreign  Trade  of  Korea  only  averages  some- 
thing less  than  ;£i, 500,000  annually,  the  potential  commerce 
of  a  country  with  not  less  than  t 2,000,000  of  people,  all  cot- 
ton-clad, ought  not  to  be  overlooked.  The  amount  of  foreign 
trade  which  exists  is  the  growth  of  thirtee  )  years  only,  but 
when  we  remember  that  Korea  is  a  purely  agricultural  country 
of  a  very  primitive  and  backward  type,  that  many  of  her  fin- 
est valleys  are  practically  isolated  by  mountain  ranges,  trav- 
ersed by  nearly  impassable  roads,  that  the  tyranny  of  custom 
is  strong,  that  the  Korean  farmer  is  only  just  learning  that  a 


I 


tiff 


?  ,'■ 


392 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


profitable  and  almost  unlimiled  demand  ..x,-„=  , 

beans  across  the  s,a  thai .!,»  .  "  '"'  '"'  "«  and 

ing  can  be  tep,  down  by  •„  '  IT  ''"'  "'  "''  '«'°"  ^'"'h" 

articles  of  foreign  manrfacTu  e  andl^  ">'  ■n'ro,1,:.tio„  of 
»^>wly  entering  the  secl„,-»d  "ll.;'  c  !  '"j""  ^"'  "'  "'■')' 
the  actual  b,,.),  of  the  trade  i.™,?"  '''  "'™''  «»P'on., 
•""■.^V"  are  worth  con^^.^.^^^'^J™' =*.-"%  p^si- 
E-:.  »a,e  increased  from  .he  va Jj of  «  ITT  "'  '""'8" 
«.5.i'.324  lit  r8,6.'  Measured T^  n""?'''"° '***  "> 
excce*  *«  Of  Jy  p„,~r  Lt^rs;:  '  l"' V  "''* 

of  tra:„,.or.  coo.^,^^:  ^"3'™^;,  "'f  ''"'  '«8'  '"""tag 

Among  Korean  exports  whkhcS  '"!""'"• 
(dried  manure),  cow  hid«  ^^!l  "  """"'  "^  l"™-  » 
there  are  n.Jil.icl^'uiS^T'T'"'-  ™''  ""1  «aweed, 
in  China  and  Japan.Tu  K^^^  ""t  "■"*« ''-""e^  than 
w^y  to  become  the  g/anary  rfX'  ill  ""  «'*''  «  ™  "» 
.890  having  reached  the  ilue  Jf  7    """"''■  '"  "■?"«  '•■• 

^ri^rZr^^^-"  '^-ca  are 
pate  a  time  when,  witi  C^;^^!","/'?''"''  '  ^°"''- 
enment,  together  with  security  for^he.'' '"''  ""s""- 
official  and  patrician  exaCtem  Z.  i-         "'"«'  °'  '"l"'  f"™ 

occasion  for  protecti^    Sft^""  "'"  ""'  ""  "^"^ 
poverty,  and  when  he  will  tecl.         f  Pl^arance  of  squalid 

.  consumer  a,  well  lT^r7Z°Z"^''  ''""''''''  '-'= 
with  comforts  and  luxuries  oTfoSl";"  '°"°"°<'  "'"■^"f 
ren  are  already  doing  under  the l^^i"  ru ^  T  "  ""r^"- 
>he  improved  conditions  which  it  ilrl!  m  "■  ^"''" 
foM  no,  be  surprised  if  the  va  „e  „f  T"i?'"=. '°  "P«'.  I 
Korea  were  ,0  reach  J-,.  o„'  •        ""^  '^°'='>'  ■"  ade  of 

'"y.  and  the  *a:e\te;gr„;,.r.:t' "'"?■•:    ""■ 
portant  question,  ^         "  *°  ""^^^  ^f     is  an  im- 

'  For  detailed  su  .     cs  of  Korean  Foreign  Trade     ■     x        .- 

*•     *™ae,        Anpendix  C. 


fish 


Education  and  Foreign  Trade  393 

Our  great  competitor  in  the  Korean  markets  is  Japan,  and 
we  have  to  deal  not  only  with  a  rival  within  twenty  hours  of 
Korean  shores,  and  with  nearly  a  monopoly  of  the  carrying 
trade,  but  with  the  most  nimble-witted,  adaptive,  persevering, 
and  pushing  people  of  our  day.  It  is  inevitable  that  British 
hardware  and  miscellaneous  articles  must  be  ousted  by  the 
products  of  Japanese  cheaper  labor,  and  that  the  Japanese  will 
continue  to  supply  the  increasing  demand  for  scissors,  knives, 
matches,  needles,  hoes,  grass  knives,  soap,  perfumes,  kerosene 
lamps,  iron  cooking  pots,  nails,  and  the  like,  but  the  loss  of 
the  trade  in  cotton  piece  goods  would  be  a  serious  matter,  and 
the  possibility  of  it  has  to  be  faced. 

The  value  of  the  import  trade  in  1896  was  ;^7o8,46i  as 
against  ;^875,8i6  for  1895  (an  exceptional  year),  and  the 
larger  part  of  this  reduction  took  place  in  articles  of  British 
manufacture,  the  decrease  of  ^^134,304  in  the  value  of  cotton 
imports  falling  almost  entirely  on  cottons  of  British  origin,  the 
Japanese  import  not  only  retaining  its  position  in  spite  of  ad- 
verse circumstances,  but  showing  a  slight  increase.  Japanese 
sheetings  showed  a  substantial  increase,  more  than  counterbal- 
anced by  the  diminished  import  of  the  British  and  American 
article,  and  Japanese  cotton  yarn  continued  to  arrive  in  larger 
quantities,  and  is  gradually  driving  British  and  Indian  yarn 
out  of  the  Korean  market.  It  can  be  sold  at  a  considerably 
lower  price  than  the  British  article,  and  practically  at  the  same 
price  as  the  Indian,  with  which  its  improved  quality  enables  it 
to  compete  on  very  favorable  terms. 

As  the  result  of  inquiries  carried  on  during  my  two  journeys 
in  the  interior,  as  well  as  at  the  treaty  ports,  it  does  not  appear 
to  me  that  Japanese  success  is  even  chiefly  caused  by  proxim- 
ity, and  in  1896  she  had  to  compete  with  the  enterprise  and 
energy  of  the  Chinese,  who,  having  returned  after  the  war  to 
the  benefits  of  British  protection,  were  pushing  the  distribu- 
tion of  Manchester  goods  imported  from  Shanghai. 

Rather  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  success  of  our  rival  is 


'  il 


M 


i   '] 


394 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


mainly  due  to  causes  whiVh  t  u 
and  Centra,  Asia"  J^Z^  H  °^"^*"°"  '"  ^-'a 
only  imperfect  knowledge  of  tlZT'  '".^  ""'"''^  '""^''^^  "ot 
b"t  the  neglect  to  act  up^n  tf  "^  "«ds  of  customers, 

and  diplomatic  agent    aTr  ovJadTe ""  '"''''''  '^  -"-'a; 
of  manufacture,  and  the^Z    r       "''  '°  ^"""^^  methods 
Pauerns,  and  the  widths  ^^1^:3  ^cT  ''''''  ^'  *°-'-' 
and   treatment,  and  the  size  of  h  7    u  '"'^  ""'"^'^  ^'^'hing 
"methods  of  transport.     I  do  no Ln  ?  ""'''  ^"'*^^  ^°  "ative 
-ade  against  our  manufLte"s  of  ^,'' /° ''^  ^'^^^^^  °^"'-es 
because  I  have  never  seen  an' inH    ^^  ^'"^ '"^^^'°^  ^°«ons, 
nor  have  I  heard  any  complinTs  on  l^'T  °'  '''  ^°^^^^^"^«« 
or  China,  but  of  the  ig„Xg  of  the        '"'^''^  "''^^  ^"  ^-re^ 
there  is  no  doubt.     It  is  evefv  ?     '^^^"'^^n'^nts  of  customers 
J°«.  and  is  likely  to  lo  e     ^e  "'  '  '"'""^^  ^"^  «°-ceof 
Korean  market.  '  "^'  Prospective  advantages  of  the 

'■on  obtained  by  their  keen  ,^-,,eV,  "'  "'  ""=  '"f"'-^' 

">«  'ows  and  villages  ,"  VI "!"  "«!"'''  "''<' '"«  visited  all 
"•I'ich  their  manufaftur^ST';"'  '°  '"' ^^'''f'ness  with 
"ents  or  the  Korean  Jrl,     Vl'"'  */  '"="''  ""'^  -V"'- 
manageable  bales,  which  do  J,       *      '  ™''''  "»  shore  in 
"rival  to  the  minute  Ko'ean'r'^V".'"  ""^P""  '"» 
'"gth   and  texture  co„  J„d  ,C.„  .he'^  "  """'  "'•""■• 
The  Japanese  nndeistand  that  r^^       <he  Korean  consumer, 
only  cotton  fro™  which  Koreln'r"  '""  ""=  «  "■= 

Without  very  considerable  w«e  fTtf  '  ''"  **  '""'"""i 
"'■h  it;  and  on  the  reporTt/'th"  ""^ '"PP'/ the  market 
firms,  the  weavers  of  O^C  Id    ,u^™"  "'  ">=  ''"Poning 

w.'h  adroitness  and  ,ap°my'closet  'd,Tr''^''"""« 'o-' 
»<J  length  of  their  cotton,  ,0,1  LTl  "'""'"^' "dth, 

goods  made  in  South  Kore^  wh  fc  !  J  ''"''■'°°"'  ""'"" 
fhe.r  durability,  and  haveTu'ccX  '-  7"''^  P°P"'"  '°' 
-tton  Of  Korean  cotton  cXt^-t-:P^^  an 


I  i 


Education  and  Foreign  Trade 


395 


and  beating  of  Korean  washing,  but  one  which  actually  de- 
ceives the  Korean  weavers  themselves  as  to  its  origin,  and 
which  has  won  great  popularity  with  the  Korean  women.  If 
Korea  is  to  be  a  British  market  in  the  future,  the  lost  ground 
must  be  recovered  by  working  on  Japanese  lines,  which  are 
the  lines  of  commercial  common  sense. 

To  sum  up,  I  venture  to  express  the  opinion  that  the  circum- 
stances of  the  large  population  of  Korea  are  destined  to  gradual 
improvement  with  the  aid  of  either  Japan  or  Russia,  that  for- 
eign trade  must  increase  more  or  less  steadily  with  increased 
buying  powers  and  improved  means  of  transport,  and  that  the 
amount  which  falls  to  the  share  of  Great  Britain  will  depend 
largely  upon  whether  British  manufacturers  are  willing  or  not 
to  adapt  their  goods  to  Korean  tastes  and  convenience. 

As  instances  of  the  aptitude  of  the  Koreans  for  taking  to 
foreign  articles  which  suit  their  needs,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
on  the  authority  of  a  report  from  the  British  Consul-General 
to  the  British  Foreign  Office  on  Trade  and  Finance  in  Korea 
for  1896,  presented  to  Parliament  July,  1897,  that  the  import 
of  lucifer  matches  reached  the  figure  of  ^^^i  1,386,*  while  that 
of  American  and  Russian  kerosene  exceeded  ;^36,ooo. 

In  1896  the  export  of  gold  increased,  and  was  $1,390,412, 
one  million  dollars'  worth  being  exported  from  Won-san  alone. 
The  gold  export  included,  the  excess  of  Korean  imports  over 
exports  was  only  about  ;^5o,ooo,  and  as  it  is  estimated  that 
only  one  half  of  the  gold  actually  leaving  the  country  is  de- 
clared, it  may  be  assumed  that  Korea  is  able  to  pay  for  a  larger 
supply  of  foreign  goods  than  she  has  hitherto  taken.  The  sta- 
tistics of  Korean  For^iign  Trade  which  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Appendix  are  the  latest  returns,  supplied  to  me  by  the  courtesy 
of  the  Korean  Customs'  Department,"  the  returns  of  shipping 
and  uf  f>rincipal  articles  of  export  and  import  being  taken  from 

'I  Lis  seems  incredible,  and  compels  one  to  suppose  that  ;^  is  a  mis- 
print for  $. 
•  See  Appendix  B. 


u.-l 


fe_: 


396 


J^worca  and  Her  Neighbors 


^-nt  f:CZ7t.u7r  '-'  '''''  P--ed  to 
*-s,  i.  n.st  be  ob'sLved  ;i!:/:^^";4'%''^^«'"•pPi"g  re- 
unrepresented  in  Korean  .aters  even  f  .'^ "  P'"'^''^^"^ 
steamer  being  rarely  seen  The'  ml!  ,  '""''^  ^^'''«h 
^-de  which  Japan  has  en  oyed  Lro 2?.  1  !''  "^^^'"« 
'"to  by  the  estabhshment  of  a  uL  ^  f' '^  ^''"  ^''^''en 
competitor.  *  ^  ^"^'^^  subsidized  line  as  a 

In  addition  to  the  \rt,u  ^e  *i,     t 
Trade  i„  ,8,a,  e„  tVieh,,^' '*f  *"' .P°«»  <>?»",„  Foreign 
there  i,  ,ha,  carried  on  bvih?         *'""  '^'^  "clusively, 
Chinese  and  Russian  fron„^^„       """-'""^  P""'  "'"'  on  .he 

In  ooncludinc  this  hnVr  n^»- 
Korea.  I  .ay  remark  th!  t  ja      1      ^'^  ^°"'^"  ^'^^^  °^ 
ponsists  in  the  ability  to  undeVse,   '  '°™^'''''°"'  '°  ^^'   "^  ^"^ 
«  likely  to  diminish  yearbrvj       'T^  ^°  "'^^^P^' ^^^or, 
^h'cl>  joods  can  be  man  fac^lT'  "" ^^'  '°"^'^'""«  ""^e 
those  which  exist  in  E^d    7'/'^,^ ^">'  approximate  to 
t'^e  necessaries  of  life  in  ^1  te7     ''J""'^""^  P""'^^  -' 
l-"g  -age."  and  an  appS^    :,';;;"^  ^^  --e  than  ''. 
nation  all  tending  in  ths  direction  '"^'^'^  °^^°'"^^- 

PWn;:?it::;^^^^:^.^---e^H-etobesaid.  The 
fertile  kyel,  ana  rive  dollars  on  .  J'"^  '•''  "'  ^'^  ^^"^^s  on  a 
60  cents  annually,  from  w^^^^^^^  '''^'  ^  ^^ousetaxof 

of  about  4,000,000  dollars  a  fl  '  ''^  "P  ^  '^"dg^t 

f  i-ate  expenditure  of  2  c  r.^';"';^'^"^  ^^  ^^^1- 

remely  light.     Only  about    Tr^  of  ;"      "'   ''^  '^  ^'^- 
collected  reaches  the  Natio.      T  '"^''^"'"'  ^^^""'^X 

'"finite  corruption  of  the  c    r,V     T^'  P^"'>' °^^  "g  to  the 

~  ■•'  '•"  -«  .  ..,e  ai'CrnfX  or^ed'^^- 

i>ee  Appendix  C.  * 


Education  and  Fortign  Trade  397 

the  people,  the  increased  expenditure  can  readily  be  met  by 
imposing  taxation  on  such  articles  of  luxury  as  wine  and  to- 
bacco, which  are  enormously  consumed,  Seoul  alone  possess- 
ing 475  wine  shops  and  1,100  tobacco  shops.  But  even  with- 
out resorting  to  any  new  source  of  revenue,  with  strict  super- 
vision and  regular  accounts  the  income  of  the  Central  Govern- 
ment is  capable  of  cor  'derable  expansion. 

In  spite  of  the  awful  official  corruption  which  has  been 
revealed,  and  the  chaos  which  up  to  1896  prevailed  in  the 
Treasury,  the  Korean  financial  outlook  is  a  hopeful  one.  At 
thp  close  of  1895  the  King  persuaded  Mr.  M'Leavy  Brown, 
LL.D.,  the  Chief  Commissioner  of  Customs,  to  undertake  the 
thankless  office  of  Adviser  to  the  Treasury,  confirming  his 
position  some  months  later  by  the  issue  of  an  edict  making  his 
signature  essential  to  all  orders  for  payments  out  of  the  national 
purse.  Korean  imagination  and  ingenuity  are  chiefly  fertile  in 
devising  tricks  and  devices  f<  r  getting  hold  of  public  money, 
^nd  anything  more  hydra-headed  than  the  dishonesty  of 
'orean  official  life  cannot  be  found,  so  that  it  is  not  surprising 
tiiat  ns  soon  as  the  foreign  ndviser  blocks  one  nefarious  pro- 
ceeding another  is  sprung  upon  him,  and  that  the  army  of  use- 
less drones,  deprived  of  their  "  vested  interests  "  by  the  ju- 
dicious retrenchments  which  have  been  made,  as  well  as  thou- 
sands who  are  trem'.iiiig  for  dieir  ill-gotten  gain  aould  oppose 
financial  reform  by  every  device  of  Oriental  ingenuit. . 

However,  race,  as  Vi  presented  by  the  honor  and  c;.t.;xcity  of 
one  European,  is  carrying  the  day,  and  Korean  Finance  is 
gradually  being  placed  on  a  sound  basis.  ^\  ith  careful  man- 
agement, judicious  retrenchments  of  ex^  'nditure,  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  chaos  in  the  Treasury  to  an  orderly  system  of  ac- 
counts, and  a  different  method  of  cr  'ecting  the  land  ta  ;,  which 
is  now  being  remitted  with  tolerable  regularity  to  the  Treasury, 
an  actual  financial  c  ujiUbriui  \  was  er 'a!)lished  and  maintained 
during  the  yea  1896,  which  closed  with  a  considerable  sur- 
plus, and  in  April,  1897,  one  million  dollars  of  the  Japanese 


M 


I 


,<  ,11 


m 


fl 


sill '  i 

11, 


,'   I 


398  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

of  income  in  iSggS.Ko^^^^^^^^^^^  '"^'''  ^^P^'^  off  out 
country  without  a  nat.ona  debt TnH  ^  ^'""^  P°''"-  ^^  - 
over  expenditure  I  '  ^""^  ""''^  *  ""^Pl^^  of  income 

-.  regiments  were  ad^'t  e    f     "tTil'""-     ^^° 
used  costly  toy,  was  out  ;„»'         ,  ^'   ^  "'"^  ^«<^"a^  a  dis- 

sary  modern  im^roTe^^    3  undeTtf '"'  "'"'  "''^  ^"  "-- 

-chini.,  the  Kyeng-wip  Lt  :'rs  1:^,""°;;  °'^  ^"^^'■^" 

and  works  connected  with  the  W  n  '     '''^  <=eremonies 

were  paid  for,  and  a  cl  derin  ^''''"  '  ^'°^P^^*'^«  ^""^^^1 

i'  gradually  displace,  H  fa  T.^*'""'i"''^"'^"''"'  ""  « 
on.  of  .he  ccndiL/wWct  a^S  Tan?"  ''"■"  ^'  "« 
'"«  '"'■"""  "«  '"ding  in  U>e  «»  Ji^Xn """'''"'  """''■ 


til 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 


DiEMONISM  OR  SHAMANISM 


KOREAN  cities  without  priests  or  temples ;  houses  with- 
out "  god  shelves  "  ;  village  festivals  without  a  mikoshi 
or  idols  carried  in  festive  procession;  marriage  and  burial 
without  priestly  blessing ;  an  absence  of  religious  ceremonials 
and  sacred  books  to  which  real  or  assumed  reverence  is  paid, 
and  nothing  to  show  that  religion  has  any  hold  on  the  popular 
mind,  constitute  a  singular  Korean  characteristic. 

Putting  aside  Buddhism  with  its  gross  superstitions,  prac- 
tised chiefly  in  remote  places,  and  the  magisterial  homage  be- 
fore the  Confucian  tablets  to  the  memory  of  the  Great  Teacher, 
the  popular  cult— I  dare  not  call  it  a  religion— consists  of  a 
number  of  observances  dictated  by  the  dread  of  bodiless 
beings  created  by  Korean  fancy,  and  representing  chiefly  the 
mysterious  forces  of  nature.  It  may  be  assumed,  taking  tradi- 
tion for  a  guide,  as  certain  of  the  litanies  used  in  exorcism 
and  invocation  were  introduced  along  with  Buddhism  from 
China,  that  Korean  imagination  nas  grafted  its  own  fancies  on 
those  which  are  of  foreign  origin,  and  which  are  of  by  no 
means  distant  kinship  to  those  of  the  Shamanism  of  northern 
Asia. 

The  external  evidences  of  this  cult  are  chiefly  heaps  of  stones 
on  the  tops  of  passes,  r  ide  shrines  here  and  there  containing 
tawdry  pictures  of  mythical  beings,  with  the  name  in  Chinese 
characters  below,  strings  from  which  depend  small  bags  of 
rice,  worn-out  straw  shoes,  strips  of  dirty  rags,  and,  though 
rarely,  rusty  locks  of  black  hair.  Outside  of  many  villages 
are  high  posts  (not  to  be  confounded  with  the  distance  posts) 

399 


7Tf 


if  m 


« 


400  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

rags,  ricebag,  ZZ^T^'J^C:'  'T  T'  ""  "'"'" 
heaps  of  stones  at  which  iti.T.    T?'        "'"^"  "''''<^'"  "= 

gaS,  there  are  ows  0^™*"  '  f  '"'''  ""'"""S'  -1  -'/ 
the  purpose  o/drivL  at?  ""T  J"""'"  "'  ^'>'"^  "^'''^^  f"' 
a  log  of  wood  perforal7l^  '"    ^'"°'""'  "'"'  ='  ""^''oads 

bunfed  "P  tr:r  t  atLrsr:^  ,1  ""■"  -^  ""'^ 

times  be  seen      In  rin..  .u  T     ■'^  carefully,  may  some- 

breaking  the  oLwise  p^:^  II!  ^^^  T^'^  "'^'^ -" 
'ravelling  through  the  coun^    h.  "'«'"'  ^""*  '" 

stantly  to  be  seen  Toinr,r'^'  I  "'""^  """ceress  is  con- 
performances  in  the^l  r^""  "T"'  ""'"'^  ^-"l  <ia"cing 
there  is  sicto     '  ""*'  °'  '  ""'^  '"  ^ont  of  a  house  whe« 

4-e^U:s:r„^:pr.r^^"-i^"hapters.but.h. 
life  of  the  belief  in  ^  J  '         *^^  '"Auence  on  Korean 

feel  mL^li;f;^zi':::7''''' '"'""°-' "-  > 

details  of  ^^»,X  fs  have  hUhUrf "  "  ""^  '"S""  »"^'' 
fa  an  unwillingness  to  spelk  to  f" '^"'""=''-  ^here 
inquirers  may  have  been  ™  T"*"'''  °''  ""''  '"P'"^'  »"<) 
been  gained  fo  make  utJ^Tlr''''  ""  "°"«'-  "- 
ductive  of  very  valuable  rl  3  .    xt    """"'^  "'"  "^  f"" 

Which  is  higher  r:;:rpo^:t:^;r :x""''=  ""■-■"^^ 

Ap.r.  f™„  ,i,e  „sea„h«  „    „    ,  f  X''  '°';  ^"""i'  «'  Che„.lp„. 


Dffimonism  or  Shamanism  401 

It  is  indeed  asserted  by  many  of  the  so-called  educated  class 
that  the  only  cult  in  Korea  is  ancestor  worship,  and  they  pro- 
fess to  ridicule  the  rags,  cairns,  shrines,  and  the  other  para- 
phernalia of  daemon-worship,  as  the  superstition  of  women  and 
coolies,  and  it  is  probable  that  in  Seoul,  at  least,  few  men  of 
the  upper  class  are  believers,  or  patronize  the  rites  otherwise 
than  as  unmeaning  customs  which  it  would  be  impolitic  to  dis- 
continue, but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  from  the  Palace  to  the  hovel 
all  women,  and  a  majority  of  men,  go  through  the  forms 
which,  influencing  Buddhism,  and  possibly  being  modified  by 
it,  have  existed  in  Korea  for  more  than  fifteen  centuries. 

Without  claiming  any  degree  of  scientific  accuracy  for  the 
term  Shamanism,  as  applied  to  this  cult  in  Korea,  it  is  more 
convenient  to  use  it,  the  word  daemon  having  come  to  bear  a 
popular  meaning  which  prohibits  its  use  where  good  spirits  as 
well  as  bad  are  indicated.     So  far  as  I  know.  Shamanism  ex- 
ists only  in  Asia,  and  flourishes  specially  among  the  tribes 
north  of  the  Amur,  the  Samoyedes,  Ostiaks,  etc.,  as  well  as 
among  hill  tribes  on  the  southwestern  frontier  of  China.     The 
term  Shaman  may  be  applied  to  all  persons,  male  or  female, 
whose  profession  it  is  to  have  direct  dealings  with  demons, 
and  to  possess  the  power  of  securing  their  good  will  and  avert- 
ing their  malignant  influences  by  various  magical  rites,  charms, 
and  incantations,  to  cure  diseases  by  exorcisms,  to  predict 
future  events,  and  to  interpret  dreams. 

Korean  Shamanism  or  Daemonism  differs  from  that  of  north- 
ern  Asia  in  its  mildness,  possibly  the  result  of  early  Buddhist 
influence.  It  is  the  cult  of  daemons  not  necessarily  evil,  but 
usually  the  enemies  of  man,  and  addicted  to  revenge' and 
caprice.  Though  the  Shamans  are  neither  an  order,  nor 
linked  by  a  common  organization,  they  are  practically  recog- 
nized as  a  priesthood,  in  so  far  as  it  is  through  their  offices 
that  the  daemons  are  annrosched  and  propitiated  on  bdialf  of 
the  people.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Shaman  or  wizard  was 
one  of  the  figures  in  the  dawn  of  Korean  history,  and  that 


1,1 


lif 

1^  !  ' 


|»^j| 


?  ■  'if 


402  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

organization  of  ,he  P.„i„sula/fig„re  fn  ver/  °  Iv  K 

to  make  a  good  living  and  support  them  in  their  old  a^e     Thl 
Pan-su  were  formerly  persons  of  much  distinction  in  f he  k^n. 

much  tr    ThV'v':  V"  ""^  '="^  'Jueen,  has  wrought 

M?^tJi;^ro?^^:-^^^^^^^^ 

Government,  which  gives  prestige  to  the  whok  bol      ) 
guilds,  and  in  the  various  sections  "clubhouses"  built  out  of 

beoul  was  built  and  maintained  by  Governmenf  »nH  ^^    * 

ch.fo,«cia,,of.heguimho.d,orL^™:":"L.?„V"'° 
It  appear,  that  admission  into  the  fraternity  is  only  g™,ed 

dr„T  'r"'r  "'^  «'™»P-f  of  proficien'cyin  .heW, 
edge  of  a  cumbrous  body  of  orally  transmitted  Shaman  tra 
d,t  on,  „,sdom  and  custom,  much  of  i,  believed  by  t"  peol 
to  be  4,cco  years  old,  and  embracing  scraps  of 'upSn 


Dsemonism  or  Shamanism 


403 


from  the  darkest  arcana  of  Buddhism,  as  well  as  fragments  of 

Confucianism.     The  neophyte  has  to  learn  of  "  the  existence 

nature,  and  power  of  daemons,  their  relations  with  man,  the 

efficacy  of  exorcism  through  a  magic  ritual,  and  the  genuine 

and  certain  character  of  the  results  of  divination."     He  must 

meditate  on  "the  customs,  habits,  and  weaknesses  of  every 

class  in  Korean  society  in  order  to  deal  knowingly  with  his 

clients.     A  slight  acquaintance  with  Confucianism  must  enable 

him  to  give  a  flavor  of  learning  to  his  speech,  and  he  must 

be  well  drilled   in  the  methods  of  exorcisms,  incantations 

magic  spells,  divination,  and  the  manufacture  of  charms  and 

amulets." 

The  services  of  sorcerers  or  geomancers  are  invariably  called 
for  in  connection  with  the  choice  of  sites  for  houses  and 
graves,  in  certain  contracts,  and  on  the  occasion  of  unusual 
calamities,  sickness,  births,  marriages,  and  the  purchase  of 
land.     The  chief  functions  ef  the  Shaman  are,  the  influencing 
of  daemons  by  ritual  and  magical  rites,  propitiating  them  by 
offerings,  exorcisms,"  and  the  procuring  of  oracles.     In  their 
methods,  dancing,  gesticulations,  a  real  or  feigned  ecstasy 
and  a  drum  play  an  important  part.     The  fees  of  the  Shaman 
are  high,  a-    :t  is  believed  that  ut  the  lowest  computation, 
D^monism  costs  Korea  two  million  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  annually  !     In  order  to  obtain  favors  or  avert  calami- 
ties, It  IS  necessary  to  employ  the  Shamans  as  mediators,  and  it 
is  their  fees,  and  not  the  cost  of  the  offerings  which  press  so 
heavily  on  the  people. 

Among  the  reasons  which  render  the  Shaman  a  necessity  are 
these.     In  Korean  belief,  earth,  air,  and  sea,  are  peopled  by 
daemons.     They  haunt  every  umbrageous  tree,  shady  ravine 
crystal  spring,  and  mountain  crest.     On  green  hill  slopes,  in 
peaceful  agricultural  valleys,  in  grassy  dells,  on  wooded  up- 
lands, by  lake  and  stream,  by  road  and  river,  in  north,  south 
east,  and  west  they  abound,  making  malignant  sport  out  of 
human  destinies.     They  are  on  every  roof,  ceiling,  fireplace 


(I 


Iff: 


404  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

kang  and  beam.     They  fill  the  chimney,  the  shed   the  livinir 
room,  ,he  kitchen-they  are  on  every  shdf  and   a.     In  thou' 
sands  tey  waylay  the  traveller  as  he  leaves  his  home   beside 
h.m   beh,nd  him,  dancing  i„  front  of  him,  whirr"h1 
head,  cry,ng  out  upon  him  from  earth,  air,  and  water      Thev 

said  that  the.r  ubiquity  is  an  unholy  travesty  of  the  Divine 
Ommpresence  '    This  belief,  and  it  seems  to'be  the  onfy  o  e 

henso;  r:    "  ^r:"  '"  ^  P^P^^"^'  ^^^^^  of  nervousappr" 
hension,  it  surrounds  him  with  indefinite  terror.,  ^nA  ,/ 

truly  be  said  of  him  that  he  "  passes  the  tin  /fu'  ^^ 

hereinfMr"     t?  r^        P^^^^'^  ^'^e  time  of  his  sojourning 

he  e  there  and  f"'''^''''--  '^^'"^  ^^  subject  to  demons' 
po  n't    n  L       T'  .""''     ^^''  ^""^'^  '^'  Korean  at  ever; 

sere    "      t' T     '  '"  "'"-'""^  ^^^^"^  ^  ^  -"tinual 
series  of  acts  of  propitiation,  and  they  avenge  every  omission 

are  the  self-existent  spirits,  unseen  enemies  of  man,  wliose  de 
s,g  s  are  always  malignant  or  malicious,  and  spirit  of  de. 

<Z  'arri'wT'd'f"*  '"'  '■"  """"'^  ^"-^  ™"'f°''"''  • 
tresses,  are  onclothed,  hungry,  and  shivering  vagrants  brin, 

.ng  untold  calamities  on  those  who  neglect  to Tppiv    11     ' 

-ants.     It  is  true,  however,  that  about  80  per  cm   of  the 

g.ons  of  spirits  are  malignant.     The  second  c  a"   consist 

a  so  of  self  existent  spirits,  whose  natures  are  partly  kindlv  and 
of  departed  spirits  of  prosperous  and  good  peol  but  ev"^ 

Ltd,  JedT'  '   ''  ""'  '"'"oessions  and  offerings,  may 

be  mduced  to  a^.st  man  in  obtaining  his  desires,  and  ma^  aij 
hm  to  escape  from  the  afflictive  power  of  the  evil  daemons 

'  Kev.  G.  H.  Jones. 


Djfimonism  or  Shamanism  405 

The  comfort  and  prosperity  of  every  individual  depend  on  his 
ability  to  win  and  keep  the  favor  of  the  latter  class. 

Koreans  attribute  every  ill  by  which  they  are  afflicted  to 
daemoniacal  influence.  Bad  luck  in  any  transaction,  official 
malevolence,  illness,  whether  sudden  or  prolonged,  pecuniary 
misfortune,  and  loss  of  power  or  position  are  due  to  the 
malignity  of  demons.  It  is  over  such  evils  that  the  Pan-su  is 
supposed  to  have  power,  and  to  be  able  to  terminate  them  by 
magical  rites,  he  being  possessed  by  a  powerful  daemon,  whose 
strength  he  is  able  to  wield. 

As  an  example  of  the  7nodus  operandi,  exorcism  in  sickness 
which  IS  believed  to  be  the  work  of  an  unclean  dsmon  may 
be  taken.  The  Pan-su  arrives  at  the  house,  and  boldly  under- 
takes the  expulsion  of  the  foul  spirit,  the  process  being  divided 
into  four  stages.* 

1.  By  a  it^v  throws  from  the  tortoise  divining  box,  the 
sorcerer  discovers  the  daemon's  nature  and  character,  after 
which  he  seeks  for  an  auspicious  hour  and  makes  arrangements 
for  the  next  stage. 

2.  Gaining  control  of  the  d^mon  follows.  The  Pan-su 
equips  himself  with  a  wand  of  oak  or  pine  a  foot  and  half  long 
and  a  bystander  is  asked  to  hold  this  in  an  upright  position  on 
an  ironing  stone.  Magic  formulas  are  recited  till  the  rod  be- 
gins to  shake  and  even  dance  on  the  stone,  this  activity  being 
believed  to  be  the  result  of  the  d^mon  having  entered  the 
wand.  At  this  stage  a  talk  takes  place  to  test  the  accuracy  of 
the  divination  of  the  daemon's  name  and  nature,  and  of  the 
cause  of  the  r, .'flic.ion.  The  Pan-su  manages  the  questions  so 
dexterously  ihat  •■  simple  yes  is  indicated  by  motion  in  the 
wand,  while  no  \%  expressed  by  quiescence.  At  this  stage  the 
daemon  is  t.-ve;-  the  choice  of  quietly  disappearing ;  after 
which,  II  he  is  obstinate,  the  Pan-su  proceeds  to  dislodge  him. 

3-  The  third  stage  involves  the  aid  of  certain  familiars  of 

•This  detailed  account  is  fiom  notes  kindly  lent  to  me  by  the  Rev.  G 
M.  Jones,. 


Ui 


\  i 


406  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

the  Pan.su.     A  special  wand,  made  of  an  eastern  branch  of  a 

t'aken   Z' ^TI  '"  ""  n  ''''''  '"  ^^^^"'"^  ^---   > 

Stan!      The  P       "  '  '''^'J"  '  ''''''''  P°^*^'°"  ^^  -  ««■ 
s  Slant.     The  Pan-sr,  recites  a  farther  part  of  his  magic  ritual, 

us  power  bemg  shown  by  acute  movements  in  the  wand  in  spU^ 

of  attempts  to  keep  it  steady.     A  parley  takes  place  with^he 

objects.  He  promises  to  catch  the  Ckan^-kun,  the  mahVnant 
d^mon,  and  after  preparations  and  offerhigs  have  been  made 

,s  V  '  rYT  ''".''  '"  ''"•  '"'^^  '"^^  -ho  holds  the  Tand 
o  t  e  j;  '  7'V'  '  ^"P--'"-l  Po-r  out  of  the  house 
o  the  place  where  the  CAan^-^un  is.     Then  the  a.an..^,„  is 

toTe  W."""  '^"^'  ^"'  ^^--^-hoIderisdraggXck 

alotstde'' T/l'  ""''^  '7'^'  '"°"*^^  '^  P"*  °"  ^he  floor,  and 
alongside  ,t  a  piece  of  paper  inscribed  with  the  name  of  the 
unclean  d.mon,  wMch  has  been  obtained  by  divination  and 
^7?u    J  f  P^P^'  ''^'"^  '°"^hed  with  the  magic  wand  jumps 

id^   rl  r'  '"■^';  '"'^^  ^"^'^^^  ^"^  ^"'^^^  -  the  hT 
siae  or  at  the  crossroads. 

ritll^-n  ".r^"'  form  of  exorcism  has  a  long  and  unintelligible 
ritual,  ,n  the  cases  of  those  who  can  afford  to  pay  for  it  occu- 

d'lilTbvThe'r  '"'  'I  ^"^^"  °^  ''''''  ^-^''^  --P-ed 
ceeded  by  a  form  known  as  the  Ritual  Pacification,  which 
takes  a  whole  night.  This  is  for  the  purpose  of  r^to  in^ 
order  among  the  household  demons,  who  have  been  much    p 

m  ttin  J  t'  '7-r  '"""''"^^'  ^'^^"'"^  ^'-  h--'  -^d  co- 
rn tting  It  and  Its  inmates  to  the  protection  of  the  most  power- 
ful members  of  the  Korean  demoniacal  hierarchy 

The  instruments  of  exorcism  used  by  the  Pan-su  are  offer- 
ings to  be  made  at  various  stages  of  the  process,  a  drum 
cymbals,  a  bell,  a  divination  box,  and  a  wand  or  w;nds         ' 

The  S/iamans  claim  to  have  derived  many  of  their  very 
numerous  spells  and  formulas  from  Buddhists,  who  on  their 


■'\  s 


Dsmonism  or  Shamanism 


407 


side  assert  that  daemon-worship  was  practised  in  Korea  long 
before  the  introduction  of  Buddhism,  and  a  relic  of  this  wor- 
ship is  pointed  out  in  the  custom  which  prevails  in  the  Korean 
magistracies  of  offering  to  guardian  spirits  on  stone  altars  on 
the  hills,  pigs,  or  occasionally  sheep,  before  sowing  time  and 
after  harvest,  as  well  as  in  case  of  drought,  or  other  general 
calamity.  This  sacrifice  is  offered  by  the  local  magistrate  in 
the  king's  name,  and  though  identical  in  form  with  that  offered 
to  Hananim  (the  Lord  of  Heaven),  is  altogether  distinct  from 
it.  Most  of  the  formulae  recited  by  the  Shavians  have  the 
reputation  of  being  unsafe  for  ordinary  people  to  use,  but  in 
c.  "isideration  of  the  possibility  of  a  great  emergency,  one  is 
provided,  which  is  pronounced  absolutely  safe.  This  consists 
of  fifty-six  characters  which  must  be  recited  forwards,  back- 
wards, and  sideways,  and  is  called  "The  twenty-eight  stars 
formula."  * 

Divination  is  the  second  function  of  the  Pan-su,  and  con- 
sists in  a  forecast  of  the  future  by  means  of  rituals,  known  only 
to  himself,  associated  with  the  use  of  certain  paraphernalia. 
This  is  used  also  for  finding  out  the  result  of  a  venture,  or  the 
cause  of  an  existing  trouble,  and  for  casting  a  man's  horoscope, 
i.e.  "The  four  columns  of  a  man's  future,"  these  being  the 
hour,  day,  month,  and  year  of  his  birth,  or  rather  their  four 
combinations.  This  horoscope  is  the  crowning  function  of 
divination.  In  these  "four  columns"  the  secret  of  a  man's 
life  is  hidden,  and  their  relations  must  govern  him  in  all  his 
actions.  When  a  horoscope  contains  an  arrow,  which  denotes 
ill-luck,  the  Pan-su  corrects  the  misfortune  by  formulae  used 
with  a  bow  of  peach,  with  which  during  the  recital  he  shoots 
arrows  made  of  a  certain  reed  into  a  "  non-prohibited  "  quar- 
ter. One  of  the  great  duties  of  divination  is  to  cast  the  horo- 
scope of  a  bride  and  bridegroom  for  an  auspicious  day  for  the 

•  The  twenty-eight  constellations,  or  stellar  mansions,  referred  to  in  the 
Shu  King,  one  of  the  Chinese  classical  books,  showing  the  close  connec- 
tion between  Chinese  and  Korean  superstition, — W.  C.  H. 


•If 


4" 


408  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

an Jt^'CZrcrr^d' tt °"  "'  *'  "  ^-«*-  " 
»  -de  like  a  ^ono.:  C  ^^  1  vaSrid  ''"  '"«  """ 
<-^*,  over  which  the  A,-«  „„«,!        '^'        """"»'  ""« 

which  has  been  .ranstedThr-Wm  »«"""'  '"'°^"''°"' 
to  reveal  the  symbols  ••    Th.      ■       '"  ^"  J"""  PWP'e  grant 

■nd  the  three 'f"fsprese„,.ir"'r.'''''°"'" '''''' •■■"«. 
characters,  „u,  „f  „Wch  hi  m!  T^  ""  '=°"'W»«ions  of 
second  implement  Tf  divina.ir  is  t  k'^k"''  °""=-  ^he 
closed  at  both  ends,  but "ith  a  s^U  .r  °°  "'  '""  '"^^ 
the  exit  of  small  bamhn„  .      f  °'°  '"  °"=  '0  allow  of 

The  same  .h"g  s  o  be  J„  oT  °' "''"i!'  ■' ""'a'- eight. 
Each  splinter  L  lo^oTtoZl'ZT'  '""'  '"  ^'■■"- 
for  a  symbol  of  certain  si™  on  ,£  ^  '  °"  "'  """  "^"''» 
old,  called  the  W/  whicT  ?■";« '"'^'^  ^•°'"' ^^ars 

•he  Chinese.     Two  o'thet  '"'""''  '*""«'   ■"   V 

acers,  eight  beinlco  nectd  wl  '"  ."'"  '"°  ""^  "^  ^'"■•- 
^—  has  obtainfd  the       e  is  r  ad    ,     T""''     ""'™  "" 

Great  reliance  is  placed  on  ,1^      '''°'™  '''='  ''"■^'=- 
-ake  and  sell.     P  oa  ablv  1  e  ar eT"  ",'''^''  ""  ''•'"-"' 
"-ho  do  not  wear  these  as  am,,  e,s     Thr      """  °'  "'""'"" 
■n  'he  form  of  insects,  or  cons  ,  of  Ph     '^  "f  «'"""">■  ""«'= 
are  written  on  special  v^rT.^  of  Ch,nese  characters.    They 

are  regarded  asTeinf  effilf  '"°"  "'""  '"  '"^  '"''■  '"d 
'amities.  Amnlets  a?e  made  o°f"thf '"V'T  """  °"'"  ^ 
lightning,  which  is  sun  J?^  .  """"^  "^  "''^^  "'"ek  by 

S.  wn,ch  ,s  supposed  to  possess  magical  qualities. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 


If  1   3 


NOTES   ON   DiEMONISM  CONCLUDED 

THE  second  and  larger  division  of  the  Shamans  consists 
of  the  mu-tang.  Though  the  Pak-su  Mu,  who  are  in- 
cluded among  the  mu-tang,  are  men,  the  female  idea  prevails 
so  largely  that  these  wear  female  clothing  in  performing  their 
functions,  and  the  whole  class  has  the  name  of  mu-tang^  and 
is  spoken  of  as  female. 

The  mu-tang  is  universally  prevalent,  and  her  services  are 
constantly  and  everywhere  sought.  She  enters  upon  an  office 
regarded  as  of  high  importance  with  very  little  ceremonial,  re- 
quiring only  a  little  instruction  from  some  one  who  has  prac- 
tised magic,  and  the  "  supernatural  call."  This  call,  of  which 
much  is  made,  consists  in  the  assurance  of  daemoniaca!  posses- 
sion, the  daemon  being  supposed  to  seize  upon  the  woman,  and 
to  become  in  fact  her  ddppel ganger ,  so  completely  is  his  per- 
sonality superimposed  on  hers.  The  daemon  is  almost  inva- 
riably a  member  of  the  Korean  "  Da:moneony  Mr.  Jones 
mentions  a  woman  who  claims  that  her  indwelling  daemon  is 
known  as  the  spirit  Chil-sotig  Shin,  supposed  to  come  from  the 
constellation  of  Ursa  Major,  and  he  brought  with  him  a  legion 
of  other  daemons,  from  which  the  ;««-/««^  derive  their  honorific 
title,  Man-shin,  a  Legion  of  Spirits.  This  woman  in  her  early 
married  life  was  ill  for  three  years,  and  had  frequent  visions 
of  the  spirit,  and  heard  but  resisted  the  "call."  When  at 
last  she  yielded  she  was  immediately  cured,  and  was  received 
into  favor  with  the  spirit ! 

On  obeying  a  daemon  call  the  woman  snaps  every  tie  of  cus- 
tom or  relationship,  deserts  parents,  husband,  or  children,  and 

409 


m 


'I    Siw^ 


4»o  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

obeys  the  "call"  alone.  Her  position  from  that  hour  is  . 
pecuhar  one  for  while  she  is  regarded  as  indispenlb.e  o  he 
c  mn.unuy  she  .s  socially  an  outcast.  In  the  curious  1  °  ' 
of  the  Shamanate,  the  Pan-su  is  obviously  the  Master  of  the 
D^rno...  ga.n.„g  power  by  cabalistic  for.ul.  or  ritu  o  dr  e 
them  off  or  even  bury  them,  while  the  mu-tang  supplicate! 

at  *vH.H  ,  ","°"'  '""  '■™P'"«'<'"=  Of  d^emoL  Irch 
Uiemcn  FesHvals,  one  public  the  other  private.  Tl,e  oublif 
one  IS  a  triennial /„,a  celebrated  either  by  a  large  vMaw  or 
by  an  ,,g,ega.ion  of  hamlets,  and  occupies  Lee  o'  fl  X 

me-  !^".,'!  "Z  't'"'  """^  °f  *'  -•e'^'orhood,  andfa 
T  ,  :  ,  :"'!  T  •  ""i'"""'  ""''■P'  ""<"  'hanksglvlng. 
1.  _  ,a,bers  choose  two  of  their  number  to  take  entire  char„ 

Vic    t  ""Th'  "f  V'"  "  '^^  '"  "P"-  -  ">^^  onX 

-gic  and  ...a.^he'trrc:rS:  ;:L\rreZrir:nrL^ 

Stan,  from  animal  food  for  seven  previous  da  I'    ""'  ""  "^ 

that  iht  h1  P  "'f  ="  ">  *=  ^P'"B-     The  popular  belief  is 

during'The  fo  o:C  h^rlat'  ^1'"'"'°"  '""■"■'  ^"'"" 
vwiiig  mree  years.    A  common  "  test "  at  this 


Notes  on  D:rnionisin  Concluded         41 1 

festival  is  the  burning  a  tube  of  very  thin  white  paper  in  a 
bowl.  Its  upper  end  is  lighted  by  the  tnu-tang,  who  recites 
her  spells  as  it  ^iurns.  When  it  reaches  the  .  im  of  the  bowl, 
if  the  ai'^ury  for  the  future  be  unfav  'e,  the  paper  burns 
away  in  the  bowl,  if  favorable,  the  r  lifts  itself  and  is 

blown  away. 

The  private /<rj/Vr,  the  Chol-muri  Katit,  one  of  thanksgiving 
to  the  household  doemons,  is  necessary  to  secure  a  continuance 
of  their  good  offices.  The  expenditure  of  the  family  resources 
on  this  occasion  is  so  lavish  as  frequently  to  impoverish  the 
household  for  a  whole  year.  This  festa  may  be  biennial  or 
triennial.  At  the  time  a  pig  is  sacrificed,  offerings  are  made, 
mtt-tangsxt  hired,  and  the  fetishes  of  the  daemons  are  renewed 
or  cleaned.  The  Ritual  for  these  occasions,  if  unabbreviated, 
lasts  several  days,  but  among  the  poor  only  a  selection  from  it 
is  used.  Its  stages  consist  of  rituals  of  invocation,  petition, 
offering,  and  purification.  While  these  are  being  recited  a 
household  spirit  becomes  incarnate  in  the  mu-tang,  and  through 
her  makes  oracular  revelations  of  the  future.  At  another  stage 
deceased  parents  and  ancestors  appear  in  the  mu-tang,  and  her 
personation  of  them  is  described  by  an  eyewitness  as  both 
"pathetic  and  ludicrous."  At  Seoul  this  festival  is  observed 
by  families  at  the  daemon  shrines  outside  the  city  walls,  and 
not  in  private  houses. 

One  of  the  very  common  occasions  which  requires  the  pres- 
ence of  a  mu-tang  is  the  ceremonial  known  as  the  Rite  of  Pu- 
rification, defilement  being  contracted  by  a  birth  or  death  or 
any  action  which  brings  in  an  unclean  daemon,  whose  obnox- 
ious entrance  moves  the  guardian  or  friendly  daemons  to  leave 
the  house.  A  wand  cut  from  a  pine  tree  to  X\\t  east  oi  the 
house  is  used  to  bring  about  their  return.  It  is  set  working 
by  the  muttered  utterance  of  special  spells  or  formulae  by  the 
mu-tang,  the  mont gari,  or  tutelary  spirit  is  found,  and  by 
means  of  prayers  and  offerings  is  induced  to  resume  his  place, 
and  the  unclean  daemon  is  exorcised  and  expelled.     The  beat- 


m 


4^  ^ 


^' 


r>       v^ 


^. 


'/ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


I.I 


I^|3j8      12.3 
!f  1^    12.2 


13^ 

14.0 


2.0 
1.8 


125  lllll  1.4 


il.8 


1.6 


!SOmm 


/flPPLIED^  IIVMGE .  Inc 

.^as  1653  East  Main  Street 
JSS^^  Rochester,  NY  14609  USA 
■S^^  Phorie:  716/482-0300 
•JBS'.sr  Fax:  716/288-5989 

0 1993,  AppNM  Imsgs,  Inc..  AH  RIghtt  RMcrvMl 


^ 


o 


4" 


it 


/^ 


4s 


■<^ 


r\ 


'C^ 


^. 


^^^'^'% 
^pS  ^ 


'^ 


^<y 


Il  t 


4'^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

4"  r,Z"  ^'hT'"  ■■""<"'■" 8™'  f""«'0"  of .!,.-». 

Zl  of  r"  "  ?'  '""i  '"  ""  ""P'"'  "^o. .fa      pL. 

S^    «,  .ha.  r  r  """  •";''  """"l-"'  ""»'ion  aW. 

"r^r"    fo   i' f  ^'^"^  '""  '"^'y  "  "-ch  ">  «h.m  as  to 

M  JZ^^r    "f  P'°)~»  of  pcTOnal  advancement,  as  well 

ing  ch.me     ,,  a  hazel  wand  wi.h  .  circle  of  bells  at  one  end 
These  are  shaken  .iolen.Iy  by  the  m,,.,„g.  and  in  theSin 
thus  created  she  hean,  the  utterance  of  the  dtmon 

farmer  ?„'27  /°l  ""  ""  "'  ""'"'™  '»  '•^"'on,  is  a 

TLT  „y^  ,T3  of  iTt'tif ""  "'T"'^  •"■' '°"« 

th,.  nhiw  »  •      ^     ^         "'^  account),  and  the  sale  of 

the  child  to  a  sp.nt  .s  he  believes  the  best  way  of  attaining 
h.s  object.     When  the  so-called  sale  has  been  decided  o  ^  hf 

tTe  child       n  ''  '^°''"  •'  "'"'">^  "  ^"'^"  "^-•-  home,  and 
he  child  .s  there  -  consecrated  "  to  the  d.xmon  by  the  Z 

tang  w.th  fitting  rites.     Thencefor.vard,  on  the  i.Ui  day  o 

LcVfi    ™""'r';'^  3rd  day  of  the  3rd  n,oon.  wo^^'a^d 

Tar^e  oVr  !,  "'  '\  '"  '""''"•  ^^^^  ^'^'«  ^ct  of  safe  the 
name  of  the  daemon  becomes  part  of  the  boy's  name  I  i! 
not  an  unusual  thing  for  the  sale  to  be  made  to  thTL W 
herself,  who  as  the  proxy  of  her  daemon  accepts  the  ch"ld  in 
case  she  learns  by  a  magic  rite  that  she  may  do  so  She  tak^ 
-  Its  stead  one  of  its  rice  bowls  and  a  s/oon.Tnd  tht;;': 


-  « 


< 


I 


o 


i^  i 


': 

: 

i 

1 

1 

1 

-   .i 

■ 

■  *  i 

I 

"    :  1 

■ 

^  % 

■ 

1 

■ 

,u 

1 

r^r 


ll  li 


Notes  on  Djpiiionisni  Concluded        413 


getlier  with  a  piece  of  cotton  cloth  on  which  thfc  fads  concern- 
ing the  sale  of  ti»e  child  are  written,  are  laid  up  in  her  own 
house  in  the  room  devoted  to  her  dnemon.  There  is  a  famous 
mutang,  whose  house  I  have  been  in  Jus».  outside  the  south 
gate  of  Seoul,  who  has  many  of  these,  which  are  i)Iaced  on 
tables  below  the  painted  daubs  of  demons  ordinarily,  but 
which,  on  great  occasions,  are  used  as  banners.  At  the  I'eri- 
odic  Festivals  offerings  are  made  on  behalf  of  these  children, 
who,  though  they  live  with  their  paren's,  know  the  sorceress 
or  mutant^  as  Shin,  and  are  considered  her  children. 

The  mit-tanf^  rites  are  specially  linked  with  the  house  datmon 
and  with  Mama  the  smallpox  dxmon.  The  house  drcmon  is 
on  the  whole  a  good  one,  being  supposed  to  bring  health  and 
happiness,  and  if  invited  with  due  ceremony  he  is  willing  to 
take  up  his  abode  under  every  roof.  He  cannot  always  keep 
off  disease,  and  in  the  case  of  contagious  fevers,  etc.,  he  dis- 
appears until  the  rite  of  purification  has  been  accomplished 
and  he  has  been  asked  to  return.  The  ceremonies  attending 
his  recall  deserve  notice.  On  this  great  occasion  the  mutang 
in  office  ties  a  large  sheet  of  paper  round  a  rod  of  oak,  holds 
it  uprig.it,  and  goes  out  to  hunt  him.  She  may  find  him  near, 
as  if  waiting  to  be  invited  back,  or  at  a  considerable  distance, 
but  in  either  case  he  makes  his  presence  known  by  shaking 
the  rod  so  violently  that  several  men  cannot  hold  it  still,  and 
then  returns  with  the  mutang  to  the  house,  where  he  is  re- 
ceived with  lively  demonstrations  of  joy.  The  paper  which 
was  round  the  stick  is  folded,  a  few  cash  are  put  into  it,  it  is 
soaked  in  wine,  and  is  then  thrown  up  against  a  beam  in  the 
house  to  which  it  sticks,  and  is  followed  by  some  rice  which 
adheres  to  it.  That  special  spot  is  the  abiding  place  of  the 
daemon.  This  ceremony  involves  a  family  in  very  consider- 
able expense. 

The  universal  belief  that  illness  is  the  work  of  daemons  ren- 
ders the  services  of  a  Pan-su  or  mutang  necessary  wherever  it 
enters  a  house,  and  in  the  case  of  smallpox,  the  universal 


HM. 


II 


4>4  Korea  and  Ht-r  Neighbors 

and  ha,o,„y  n,f..„,'Krl  fo     X™?""'o!";',;e  r'' 

•Piri.  wi.l,  a  r^uncl  mH„;:  el  1°""^.  ;!"""'  <•'"-« 
done,  and  if  there  are  ,„.l„i,i  ,  '^  "^  ""  """k  » 

".e  malady,  .1  ey  '.,,  iS '    ,"  T  r" ,""'"'"'  '""'  "°'  ''"^ 

obemnce  (worship)  ,o  ,he  ...fferL  cln  T,!.  ™,'  <""""  ''"' 
limes  in  honorific  terms  n, ,  *•  '  ''  "'''''"'  " "'  »" 
'he  .«h  day,  „h  !™he  ,«!7  "  """''^  '°  ^  ""''  "<" 
farewell  banaiclis  „  !eV T'''^  "  '«"'"  """•"•<'"«'.  '"d  » 
pared,  and  is'  ^^dS^  he  snirT'sT '""  """^T  ""^  "  P^ 
food  and  monev   kVZTj'^         'T"^'"  "■'"'  '""^"  "^B'  of 

he  receive,  >ZryZ^'^''Zt      """"'  "'  '^'"■""> 
own  place  I  *  "^"^  '"'  P'o^P^ro"'  «turn  to  hi, 

-?e:^  :he'':;rt^f  r-^^^^^ 

falling  of  flerotTai:'  iTll '"  '"^''  ""-  '^  '"' 
chiefly  mediatorial  It  7.  i  ,  '  ""  P'«ent  vocation  is 
her  daughter  or  eten  I  u  'T'"«  '""'""''  '•"'''itary. 
The  ••ca'.l"is"o::iXr;  ;-:•*"«  "  "-  -k^! 
women  are  of  the  lower  cla^  Thf  ';  °"''"""y  <he« 
pers  of  Buddha  after  L  i  '^  ""  frequently  worship. 

I>>  Korea,  a,^  Vace  I  i    n^^ T  ""1  "''"'"'  "'"  ""i"^"  '"^' 

n.-in.hesma^rmptrX;tr*^'^--*'-- 

-:  ;r:r  im":!:,:e";:er:e!rrvr"'  *■«  ^^ 

and  ambitious  Korean  nl         I       "^P'^'  '^'°»'  'he  clever 
^«»-.»  on  blllalfo;:  e'f"    ;  o^LT""  1°""""^  '°  "" 

'he  humbles,  peasant  fam  r  Tht  a^riT  ,W  "l ''°"" '<■ 

/•     ineyare  in  intimate  contact 


Notes  on  D:emonism  Concliulcd         415 

with  the  people  in  all  times  of  difficulty  and  affliction,  their 
largest  claims  are  conceded,  and  they  are  seldom  out  of  em- 
ployment. 

The  demons  whose  professed  servants  the  Shtvnans  are,  and 
whose  yoke  lies  heavy  on  Korea,  are  rarely  even  mythical  be- 
ings, who  might  possibly  have  existed  in  human  shape.  They 
are  legion.  They  dwell  in  all  matter  and  jjervade  all  space. 
They  are  a  horde  without  organization,  destitute  of  genus, 
species,  and  classification,  created  out  of  Korean  superstitions, 
debased  Buddhism,  and  Chinese  mythical  legend.  There 
h.ive  been  no  native  attempts  at  their  arrangement,  and  what- 
ever has  been  done  in  this  direction  is  due  to  the  labors  of  Mr. 
G.  H.  Jones  and  Dr.  Landis,  from  whose  lists  a  few  may  be 
chosen  as  specimens. 

The  0-bang-chan^-kun  are  five,  and  some  of  the  more  impor- 
tant preside  over  East  Heaven,  South,  West,  North,  and  Middle. 
In  Shaman's  houses  shrines  are  frequently  erected  to  them, 
bearing  their  collective  name  to  which  worship  is  paid.  They 
are  held  in  high  honor  and  are  prominent  in  Pan-sit  rites.  At 
the  entrance  of  many  villages  on  the  south  branch  of  the  Han 
the  villagers  represent  them  by  posts  with  tops  rudely  carved 
into  hideous  caricatures  of  humanity,  which  are  ofttimes  deco- 
rated with  straw  tassels,  and  receive  offerings  of  rice  and  fruit 
as  village  protectors. 

The  Shin-chang  are  daemon  generals  said  to  number  80,000, 
each  one  at  the  head  of  a  daemon  host.  They  fill  the  earth 
■  .1  air,  and  are  specially  associated  with  the  Pan-su,  who  are 
capable  of  summoning  them  by  magic  formulae  to  aid  in  divi- 
nation and  exorcism.  Shrines  to  single  members  of  this  mili- 
tant host  occur  frequently  in  Central  Korea,  each  one  contain- 
ing a  highly-colored  daub  of  a  gigantic  mediaeval  warrior,  and 
the  words,  •'  I,  the  Spirit— dwell  in  this  place." 

The  Tok-gabi  are  the  most  dreaded  and  detested,  as  well  as 
the  best  known  of  all  the  daemon  horde.  Yet  they  seem  non- 
descripts, and  careful  and  patient  examination  has  only  sue- 


1 

■■ 

1 

'   1 

( 

1 

1 

4»6  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

mit  ;"  7j^««''"fi;'''^'"  'o  the  class  of  such  myths  as  the 
Will  o  the  W.sp.  and  Jack  o'  Lantern,  elevated  however  in 
Korea  to  the  status  of  genuine  devils'with   f<^i;he7oT^^ 

«^uls  of  those  who  have  come  to  sudden  or  violent  ends.  They 
are  bred  on  execution  grounds  and  battlefields,  and  wherever 

:TnroX"d:r.^i,;?r^"  r  overwhelming  .eS: 

terrifying  the^S  ^''01  :VhV"b  t'l^'  ^''«^'' 
sion  of  the  fine  Audience  HalVrhet:.  rr^'l^.^ -i 
tr'inTbdieted^  f""''"^  T'"'''''  frigh.f.T  t;.erL:i 

doief^spieiiTor  i;r:a:  tr;  °'''^^  ^'".'''  '^°" 

ones  because  of  them      The  rfe!i  1  T  '  ""'  ''""^  "*^^ 

mafiu',  hnf  J  I,    T* .     ,  "'*'^'  "^^y  '^  »"<=h  things  as  a 

dirf  enshl;.    '  f'"'''  °'  '-^''''''«  ^'^'•''  '-"en  with  age  and 

a  iriDuted  to  the  Tok^rabt  they  are  accused  of  many  pranks 
such  as  placing  the  covers  of  iron  pots  inside  1^^^' 
poundi       ,  „,  ^,,,^,^^^  ^„  ^^.^^^Pot-  -ns-d      h  m    a„ 

would  be  smashed,  yet  leaving  no  trace  of  their  work.  ^ 

Of  the  vast  "£>amo,„on,"  infest  Korean  life  like  vermin 
wandering  about  embracing  every  opportuity  of    urtZand' 
niolestmg  man      Against  these  both  Z.su  anVL  CVa  ' 
continual  war  by  their  enchantments,  the  P.u-su  by  thei   ex 

Another  great  group  of  daemons  is  the  Sa^-SAw  JPv."«._the 
sp.nts  of  the  mountains.  I  found  their  shrines  in  a^the^l 
country,  along  both  branches  of  the  Han. ";  spr  t  d 
streams,  and  specially  under  the  shade  of  big  trees  and  on 
«.y././«.  covered  rocks,  a  flat  rock  being  a  sp  SVlpro 

lortunate.        I  he  d«mon  who  is  the  tutelary  spirit  of  ^«. 


Notes  on  *!a3inonism  Concluded        417 

senf^,  the  most  valuable  export  of  Korea,  is  greatly  honored. 
So  also  is  the  patron  da;mon  of  deer  hunters,  who  is  invari- 
ably represented  in  his  shrine  as  a  fierce  looking  elderly  mar 
in  official  dress  riding  a  tiger.  Surrounding  him  are  altars  to 
his  harem,  and  there  are  also  female  demons,  mountain  spirits, 
who  are  pictured  as  women,  frequently  Japanese. 

The  tiger  which  abounds  in  Central  and  Northern  Korea  is 
.understood  to  be  the  confidential  servant  of  these  mountain 
daemons,  and  when  he  commits  depredations,  the  people,  be- 
lieving the  da;mon  of  the  vicinity  to  be  angry,  hurry  with 
offerings  to  his  nearest  shrine.     The  Koreans  consider  it  a 
good  omen  when  they  see  in  their  dreams  the  mountain  dae- 
mon, either  as  represented  in  his  siirine,  or  under  the  form  of 
his  representative,   the  tiger.     These  mountain  demons  are 
specially  sought  by  recluses,  and  iwople  ofttimes  retire  into 
solitary  mountain  glens,  where  by  bathing,  fasting,  and  offer- 
ings they  strive  to  gain  their  favor.     These  spirits,  believed  to 
be  very  powerful,  are  much  feared  by  farmers,  and  by  villagers 
living  near  high  mountains.     They  think  that  if  when  they  are 
out  on  the  hillsides  cutting  wood  they  forgot  to  cast  the  first 
spoonful  of  rice  from  the  bowl  to  the  daemon,  they  will  be 
punished   by  a  severe  fall  or  cut,  or  sc    *  other  accident. 
These  spirits  are  capricious  and  exacting,  ai- 1  for  every  little 
neglect  take  vengeance  on  the  members  of  a  farmer's  household 
or  on  his  crops  or  cattle. 

The  Long-shin,  or  Dragon  daemons,  are  water  spirits. 
They  have  no  shrines,  but  the  Shamans  conduct  a  somewhat 
expensive  ceremony  by  the  sea  and  riversides  in  which  they 
present  them  with  offerings  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  of 
drowned  persons. 

The  phase  of  Daemonolatry  which  is  the  most  common  and 
the  first  to  arrest  a  traveller's  attention  is  also  the  most  obscure. 
The  Sdng  IVJioang  Dan  (altar  of  the  Holy  Prince),  the  great 
Korean  altar,  rudely  built  of  ?oose  stones  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree,  from  the  branches  of  wnich  are  suspended  such  worthless 


4»8  Korea  and  Her  Nciglihors 

e^vofos  as  strips  of  paj^r.  rags,  small  bags  of  rice,  old  clouts 
and  worn-out  si.oes.  look  less  like  an  altar  than  a  decS 
ca.rn  o  large  size.-  A  peculiarity  of  the  .Si;,,  //'wX; 
..that  they  are  generally  supposed  to  be  frequented  by  varbu 
d.-emons.  though  occasionally  they  are  crowned  by  a  shri.  o 
a  single  sp.r.t.  Korean  travellers  make  their  special  plea  to  a 
travellers'  daemon  who  is  supposed  to  be  found  Zr.SZl 

Y'lor  l.kew.se  regards  the  altar  as  the  shrine  of  his  guard  an 

daemon   and  bestows  a  bit  of  old  ro,,e  upon  it.     Furthe   than 

th.s.  when  some  special  bird  or  beas!  has  destroyed  i    eC   in- 

junous  to  agriculture,  the  people  erect  a  shrine  to  it  on   h  "e 

altan.  or  ca.rns.  on  which  may  frequently  be  seen  the  rude 

daub  ofa  bird  or  animal.  "ccn  me  ruae 

Two  spirits,  the  To-fi-chi  Shin  and  the  Chon-Shin  are  re- 

ga.  ed  as    ocal  d.mons.  and  occupy  s,.ts  on  the  luTtai . 

similar    o  that  offered  in  ancestral  worship  is  made  to  them 
be  ore  the  body  is  laid  in  the  earth.     tL  sJ^l^^Z 
over    his,  and  one  of  them  intones  a  ritual  belongin/to  thi 
occasioi.     The  shrine  of  Con-Shin  is  a  local  temple  Vsm^ 
decayed  erection  usually  found  outside  villages,     in  SeouUe 
has  a  „.ud  or  plaster  shrine  is  which  his  picture  is  ensluin  d 
with  much  ceremony,  but  in  the  country  his  fetish  is  usually  a 
sn-aw  booth  set  up  over  a  pair  of  old  shoes  under  a  tree.     For 
the  observances  connected  with   him  all  the  residents  in  a 
neighborhood  are  taxed.    He  maybe  regarded  as  the  chief 
deemon  in  every  district,  and  it  is  in  his  honor  that  the  mu- 
/a«^  celebrate  the  triennial  festival  formerly  described 

/>~?i"''  T''l  "'. ''''  '^^  '•^•^'°"  °f  '"^^  Korean 
n^moneon.    Song  Ju,  the  spirit  of  the  ridge  pole  who  pre- 

we'rfl'  -  1;  J°"".'"eeests  the  idea  that  these  uncouth  heap  of  stones 
Ted  ZT^  """Tu  °u  ""  °^"  "'"^''  '"''•'"^  da-mons'were  s  p 


Notes  on  Dirmonlsm  Conchnhd         419 

sides  over  the  hume,  occupies  a  sort  of  imperial  i)ositiun  with 
regard  to  the  other  houschukl  spirits. 

His  fetish  consists  of  some  sheets  of  paiK'r  and  a  paper  bag 
containing  as  many  siwonfuls  of  rice  as  tlie  household  is  years 
old  on  the  day  when  the  mn  tans;  susi)ends  it  to  the  crossbeam 
of  the  house. 

The  ceremony  of  his  inauguration  was  conducted  as  follows 
in  the  case  of  a  householder  who  was  at  once  a  scholar,  a 
noble,  a  rich  man,  and  the  headman  of  a  large  village.  A 
lucky  day  having  been  chosen  by  divination,  the  noble,  after 
grading  the  site  for  his  house,  erected  the  fran:ework,  and  with 
great  ceremony  attached  such  a  fetish,  duly  prepared  by  the 
Pan-su,  to  the  crossbeam.  Prostrations  and  invocations 
marked  this  stage.  When  the  building  of  the  house  was  com- 
pleted, an  auspicious  day  was  again  chosen  by  divination,  and 
a  great  ceremony  was  performed  by  the  mutang  for  the  en- 
shrining of  the  daimon  in  the  home.  The  mutang  arranged 
the  ceremonial  and  prepared  the  offerings,  and  then  with  a 
special  wand  only  used  en  these  occasions,  called  the  spirit  who 
is  supposed  to  be  under  her  control,  and  returning  to  the  house 
solemnly  enshrined  him  in  the  fetish,  to  which  it  is  correct  to 
add  a  fresh  sheet  of  paper  every  year.  After  Song/u  was  sup- 
posed to  have  had  time  to  feed  spiritually  on  the  offerings,  they 
were  pla-  '  before  the  gu?sts,  and  a  great  entertainment  fol- 
lowed. 

Ti/u,  or  the  lord  of  the  site,  is  the  next  great  daemon,  but 
investigations  regarding  him  have  been  very  resultless.  Little 
is  known,  except  that  offerings  are  presented  to  him  at  some 
spot  on  the  premises,  but  not  inside  the  house.  These  offer- 
ings, which  are  of  food,  are  made  on  the  ist,  2nd,  3rd,  and 
15th  of  each  month.  This  food  is  afterwards  eaten  by  the 
family,  and  a  continual  offering  is  represented  by  a  bit  of  cloth 
or  a  scrap  of  old  rope.  His  fetish  is  a  bundle  of  straw,  empty 
inside,  placed  on  three  sticks,  but  in  some  circumstances  a 
flower  pot  with  some  rice  inside  is  substituted. 


!  i 


!M. 


M 


H 


4^0  Korea  and  H<r  Nnghhors 

Ot  Ju.  the  kitcl,cn  daemon,  is  the  third  of  the  trio  which 
i»  permanently  attached  to  the  hou«..  Hi,  fetish  i.: 
I>.cce  of  cloth  or  pa,.r  nailed  to  the  wall  above  the  cooking 

.nd'^t'.  »h"!  '""'  V  ;'"^'"°"'  *'^°  "*  '>"^*^hed  to  the  family 
and  not  the  house,  the  first  of  them  being  Cho  Wan,  a  sniHt 
of  the  constellation  of  the  Great  Bear.  \  very  po  X  sE' 
H.,  ,hr.ne  .s  outside  the  wall,  and  his  fetish,  to  ^  ich  woE 

he'd  •  "  Tr  '""  °'^'°'''  '^"^  ^^''  ^^  ''^-J»ofL' 
the  daemon  familiar  of  a  mu-tang. 

y^lLl'*:^^'  ''.'.'  '''"  '■"'"  °'  '"^"^  °f  »he  family,  and  every 
household  .,  am^.t.-ous  to  secure  him.  Hi,  fetish  is  a  straw' 
booth  three  feet  h.gh.  in  which  is  a  flower  pot  containing  some 
nee  covered  with  a  stone  and  paper  ^ 

torit?  5'*''"'  1''''  ^''""^  ^«^'"°"»  •■»  «"  «"cient  and  his- 
toncal  d^mon.  ChUi  Sok,  who  is  regarded  .-  the  grandfather 
of  A,«  Chin.cm  3ok,  the  d.mon  of  nativity.     H  is  etish  un 

:rm'fa^:no"srV \'  "^^^-"^"^  /estroyed.'d:t'e:d" 
irom  father  to  son.     He  has  several  fetishes,  and  when  he  re 

thTrreLT''  ^t  the  Triennial  Festival,  the  ..-^putso; 
the  dre«i  of  an  offic.al.  He  is  the  dcemon  of  nativity  and  the 
g.ver  of  posccrity,  and  is  a  triple  daemon.     Korean  women 

jSii«  .^/«  enables  them  to  understand  the  mystery  I    He  is  be 
ncved  to  have  the  control  of  all  children  up'to  th'e  age  oV  ou  ' 
He  avenges  ceremonial  defilement  such  as  the  sight  by  an  ex! 

house  where  there  has  been  a  recent  birth,  a  notice  warning 
visitors  not  to  enter  is  often  put  up  on  his  behalf.  He  mpo^ 
on  plebe.an  mothers  a  period  of  seclusion  for  twenty  on7da^ 
thlh'       h  ^T  '""■  "°^'*  "^'^'^'^  °"«  hundred  days,  for 

ttz^:::z, '' ''' '-  -'  '^'''y  --^^^"-^ 

the^BrTtui  *';' ^*'"°"  l""^''^'  '»  the  Japanese  DaiJ^oku  and 
the  Br.t.sh  Ma^.,on.    He  is  worshipped  in  the  granary,  and 


Notes  on  Da'inonisin  Comluilcd         421 

thanks  are  ofTered  to  him  as  well  as  petitions.  His  fetish  is  a 
paste  jar  set  up  on  two  decorated  bags  of  riie.  A  man  in 
Chemulpo,  now  a  Christian,  had  a  very  famous  fetish,  wliich 
was  originally  a  jar  of  l)eans,  but  these  were  changed  into  clear 
wafer,  and  a  mysterious  improvement  in  the  fortunes  of  the 
family  set  in  from  that  date,  the  jar  becoming  an  object  of 
grateful  worship.  One  day  it  was  found  broken  and  the  water 
lost,  and  from  that  time  his  fortunes  declined. 

Kol  lip  is  the  daemon  who  takes  charge  of  the  external  for- 
tiuies  of  the  family,  and  is  also  the  mercury  of  the  I'riisehold 
divmons.  His  fetish  is  enshrined  over  the  gate  house,  and 
consists  of  a  mass  of  rubbish,  old  straw  shoes  for  wearing  on 
his  travels,  cash  for  spiritual  funds,  and  a  fragment  of  grass 
cloth  for  travelling  outfit.  There  is  also  the  daemon  of  the  gate 
whose  fetish  hangs  over  the  entrance. 

Dr.  Landis  has  classified  the  Korean  dxmons  as  follows:— 

Spirits  high  in  rank 
I.  Spirits  of  the  Ilcnvcns. 
a.  Spirits  of  the  Earth, 

3.  Spirits  of  the  Mountains  and  Iliril. 

4.  Spirits  of  the  Dr.igons. 

5.  (Juardiaii  Spirits  of  the  District. 

6.  Spirits  of  the  Huddhist  Faith  (?) 

Spirits  oj  the  House 

7.  Spirit  of  the  ridge  [wlo.    Tliis  is  the  chief  of  all  the  spirits  of  the 
House. 

8.  Spirit  of  goods  and  furniture. 

9.  Spirit  dxmon  of  the  Yi  family. 

10.  Spirit  of  the  kitchen. 

11.  Attendant  spirits  of  No.  9. 

I  a.  Spirits  which  serve  one's  ancestors. 

13.  The  fluards  and  servants  of  No.  9. 

14.  The  Spirits  which  aid  jugglers. 

15.  Spirits  of  goods  and  chattels,  lil^e  No.  8,  but  inferior  in  rank. 

16.  Spirits  of  smallpox. 

17.  Spirits  which  take  the  forms  of  animals. 


\^ 


422  .    Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

exorcL^"""  "''''  "^^  ^""*'°"  °'  y''""^  «"-^''  -"^  change  them  into 

19.  Spirits  of  the  seven  stars  which  form  the  Dipper, 
ao.  Spirits  of  the  house  site. 

Various  kinds  of  Spirits 
ai.  Spirits  which  make  men  brave 

that  they  are  all  evil.  ^  " "  needless  to  say 

23.  Spirits  which  cause  tigers  to  cat  men. 

24.  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  on  the  road 

26   £r"u  wLvh  ■■"■"  ''"' '''  '°"^  '^^"^'"e  ^"  '°^»  of  calamities. 
26.  Spirits  which  cause  a  man  to  die  away  from  home. 

27-  Spir.  s  which  cause  men  to  die  as  substitutes  for  others. 
28.  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  strangulation. 
39-  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  drowning 

30.  Spirits  which  cause  women  to  die  in  childbirth 

31.  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  suicide. 

33.  Jpirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  fire. 

ZZ.  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  being  beaten 

34.  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  falls 

35-  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  pestilence. 

36.  Spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  cholera 
The  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  the  performances  of  the««. 
tang  ts  enormous.     In  sickness  the  very  poor  half  starve  thm- 
^Ives  a..d  pawn  their  clothing  to  pay  for  her  exorcism       h" 

T'T  T    T  "''^'^  "P°"  ''''  ^°""try  for  hundreds,  if  no 
thousands    of  years.     The  order  is  said  to  date  bac    4  0- 

o2l  r     ''"  ''"'^  '"  ^'^•"^'   ^"^^'^  it  was   under 

official  regulations,  mu-Aam.  Five  hundred  years  aeo  the 
founder  of  the  present  dynasty  prohibited  ;««-4  LX  ^ 
wuhin  the  walls  of  Seoul-hence  their  houses  and  temple  e 
found  outside  the  city  walls.  lempies  are 

Women  are  not  mu-fang  by  birth,  but  of  late  years  it  has 
become  customary  for  the  girl  children  of  a  sorc«e»  to  go 


Notes  on  DjEmonism  Concluded         423 

out  with  her  and  learn  her  arts,  which  is  tending  to  give  the 
profession  a  hereditary  aspect.  It  is  now  recruited  partly  in 
this  fashion,  partly  fronj  among  hysterical  girls,  and  partly  '"or 
a  livelihood,  but  outside  of  these  sources,  a  damon  may  take 
possession  of  any  woman,  wife,  maid,  or  widow,  rich  or  poor, 
plebeian  or  patrician,  and  compel  her  to  serve  him.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  possession  she  becomes  either  slightly  or 
seriously  ill,  and  her  illness  may  last  four  weeks  or  three  years, 
during  which  time  she  dreams  of  a  dragon,  a  rainbow,  peach 
trees  in  blossom,  or  of  a  man  in  armor  who  is  suddenly  meta- 
morphosed i;  an  animal.  Under  the  influence  of  these 
dreams  she  becomes  like  an  insane  person,  and  when  awake 
sees  many  curious  things,  and  before  long  speaks  as  an  oracle 
of  the  spirits. 

She  then  informs  her  family  that  messengers  from  Heaven, 
Earth,  and  the  Lightning  have  informed  her  that  if  she  is  not 
allowed  to  practise  exorcism,  they  or  their  domestic  animals 
will  die.  Should  they  insist  on  secluding  her,  her  illross 
shortly  terminates  fatally.  If  a  daughter  of  a  noble  family 
becomes  possessed,  they  probably  make  away  with  her,  in  the 
idea  that  if  madness  takes  this  turn,  the  disgrace  would  be 
indelible. 

But  things  usually  go  smoothly,  and  on  being  allowed  to 
have  her  own  way  the  first  thing  she  does  is  to  go  into  a  vacant 
room  and  fill  it  with  flowers  as  an  off'ering  to  the  daemons. 
Then  she  must  obtain  the  clothing  and  professional  parapher- 
nalia of  a  deceased  mu-tang.  The  clothing  may  be  destroyed 
after  the  daemon  has  taken  full  possession  of  his  new  recruit, 
but  the  drums  and  other  instruments  must  be  retained.  After 
the  possessions  of  the  deceased  mu-tang  have  been  bestowed  on 
the  new  one  who  claims  them,  she  proceeds  to  exorcise  such 
bad  spirits  as  may  be  infesting  the  donor's  house,  so  as  to  en- 
able  his  family  to  live  in  peace,  after  which  she  writes  his 
name  on  a  tablet,  and  placing  it  in  a  small  room  invokes  bless- 
ings on  him  for  three  years. 


If 


424 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


lucrative  profession.     Her "q  °2enT       "''^ ''"P^''^"^ ^^^ 
dresses,  some  of  them  very  cos7  !  H  '°"T  °'  '  ""'"»'"  ^' 
glass,  four  feet  in  length  coDoe^;;  ^k  ?  "^'^'^  ''''*^^"  ^'^"r- 
tinklers  suspended  from  il  bv  ^  ^    u"^''  "  '°PP^^  ^°^'  ^'^h 
paper  bann^s  whirfloat^oundT  "^T'  ''"^'  '^  ''^'^  -"^ 
brelJas,  wands,  images  oTm"      7  "'  '^'  ^^""^'  ^^"«'  ""n- 
gongs,  and  a  Uirfftdescone  T     TT'''  '"^^  °^  =°PP" 
chiefly  used  incases  o'^C^^^^ 

result  from  rats  climbing  aboJurh^  ''''•'' '"^^^^^^  *° 
scratching  sound  made  bv  a  1  ,  ^'"^"  '"''"°^-  ^he 
which  resembles  the  noise  If  k'  "''  °^  ^'^^^^  baskets, 
and  drive  away  these  rodems  '  "*''  '^  ''^''''^  ^°  ^-re 

4ect  hSrrain^:sr  ^''^ ''-  -«■'--  -- 

three  days,  during  wh  ch  time?,^  '"^'"«  ^'^^  ^  "^^n^h  to 
fish,  and  must  pfrtlnf  f^T  tf""''  '''*""  ''°™  ^^^'^  «"d 
steeped  in  wateLnd  tl  r;erettL\Vtr^^^^^  ^^^ 

«  as  she  walks  round  the  housed ff        i      ''  ^"^  'P""'^l«' 
and  going  through  the  sleremo'r      ^^''""^  ^"^^  -^- 

the^pIoplH;  S:ore7v:nTnr  "^^  '''  ----  °-  o^ 
l>e  observed  that  in  KorelTrJ  ^- '''°"'  ''^'^'''-  ^'  ^'H 
demoniacal  posseslf,Tn,  t  T '  "''  """■''^'  "'^'^ 
or  .u.,an^,  are  alway  ren.^uUed  T"  °'  *''  ^''"^«' 
and  surgery  are  the  most  success^lt  •,  ^"T'"  "'^^'^'"^ 
and  degrading  system  wM^hTld  Z^^^''  ^^^^^^^ 
respects  highly  civilized    in  k  ^  ^^'°"'  '"  ""any 

bc^.as  p.i.,-red  inr„;  .r:r:.td!c:  r"""  °' 

tending  increasinglv  in  ih.  Hir.„        r  '""''<^=''  Missions  "  is 

I'  would  be  imws^^  .  ,^     '""  °'  ^"^""^'Pa'ion. 
deceived.    In  ^^ThJ,     '    ^  '"  ""  """""'f  '»  «'f- 
•be  exorcises  "TTeltn'TLTS/^^' '"  "'>'^'' 


Notes  on  Daemonism  Concluded        42c 

works  herself  into  such  a  delirious  frenzy  that  she  falls  down 
foaming  at  the  mouth,  and  death  is  occasionally  the  result  of 
the  frantic  excitement. 

The  "Dsmon  of  the  Yi  Family"  is  invoked  in  every  dis- 
trict  once  in  three  years  by  the  mu-tang  in  a  formula  which 
has  been  translated  thus-"  Oh  Master  and  Mistress  of  our 
Kingdom,  may  you  ever  exist  in  peace.     Once  in  every  three 
years  we  invoke  you  with  music  and  dancing.     Oh  make  this 
house  to  be  peaceful."    If  this  malignant  spirit  arrives  at  a 
house  he  can  only  be  appeased  by  the  death  of  a  man,  an  ox 
or  a  pig.     Therefore  when  the  mu-tang  becomes  aware  that  he 
has  come  to  a  house  or  neighborhood,  a  pig  is  at  once  killed, 
boiled,  and  offered  up  entire-the  exorcist  takes  two  knives 
and   dances  a  sword  dance,   working  herself  into  a  "fine 
frenzy     after  which  a  box  is  made  and  a  Korean  official  hat 
and  robes  are  placed  within  it,  as  well  as  a  dress  suitable  for  a 
palace  lady.     The  box  is  then  placed  on  the  top  of  the  family 
clothes  chest,  and  sacrifices  are  frequently  offered  there.     This 
daemon  is  regarded  as  the  spirit  of  a  rebellious  Crown  Prince 
the  sole  object  of  whose  daemon  existence  is  to  injure  all  with 
whom  he  can  come  into  contact. 

A  man  sometimes  marries  a  mu-tang,  but  he  is  invariably  "a 
fellow  of  the  baser  sort,"  who  desires  to  live  in  idleness  on  the 
earnings  of  his  wife.     If.  as  is  occasionally  the  case,  the  mu- 
tang  belongs  to  a  noble  family,  she  is  only  allowed  to  exorcise 
spirits  in  her  own  house,  and  when  she  dies  she  is  buried  in  a 
hole  m  a  mountain  side  with  the  whole  paraphernalia  of  her 
profession.     Some  mu-tang  do  not  go  abroad  for  purposes  of 
exorcism.     These  may  be  regarded  as  the  aristocracy  of  their 
profession,  and  many  of  them  are  of  much  repute  and  live  in 
the  suburbs  of  Seoul.     Those  who  desire  their  services  send 
the  necessary  money  and  offerings,  and  the /,/«-/a«^  exorcise 
the  spirits  in  their  own  houses. 

The  use  of  straw,  ropes,  and  of  pieces  of  paper  resembling 
the  Shinto  ^^y%«,  during  incantations,  with  a  certain  similarity 


426  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

r„^r^;^■::.'.^■i■^•r■="^ 

To,    doctrine,    has  not  yet  been  affixed  to  D«monism. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

SEOUL  IN    1897* 

IT  was  midnight  when,  by  the  glory  of  an  October  full 
moon,  I  arrived  from  Chemulpo  at  tlie  foot  of  the  rugged 
slope  crowned  with  the  irregular,  lofty,  battlemented  city  wall 
and  .picturesque  double-roofed  gateway  of  the  Gate  of  Staunch 
Loyalty  which  make  the  western  entrance  to  the  Korean  capital 
so  unique  and  attractive.     An  arrangement  had  been  made  for 
the  opening  of  the  gate,  and  after  a  long  parley  between  the 
faithful  Im  and  the  guard,  the  heavy  iron-bolted  door  creaked 
back  before  the  united  efforts  of  ten  men,  and  I  entered  Seoul, 
then  under  the  authority  of  Ye  Cha  Yun,  an  energetic  and  en- 
lightened  Governor,  under  whose  auspices  the  western  part  of 
the  city  has  lost  the  refuse  heaps  and  foulness,  with  their  con- 
comitant odors,  which  were  its  chief  characteristic.     In  the 
streets  and  lanes  not  a  man,  dog,  or  cat  stirred,  and  not  a  light 
glimmered  from  any  casement ;  but  when  I  reached  Chong- 
dong,  the  foreign  quarter,  I  observed  that  the  lower  extremity 
of  every  road  leading  in  the  direction  of  the  Russian  Legation 
was  irregularly  guarded  by  several  slouching  Korean  sentries, 
gossiping  in  knots  as  they  leaned  on  their  rifles. 

The  grounds  of  my  host's  house  open  on  those  of  the  King's 
new  palace,  and  the  King  and  Crown  Prince,  attended  by 
large  retinues,  were  constantly  carried  through  them  on  their 
way  from  their  asylum  in  the  Russian  Legation  to  perform  the 

•  I  left  Korea  for  China  at  Christmas,  1805,  and  after  spending  six 
months  in  travelling  in  the  Chinese  Far  West,  and  three  months  among 
the  Nan-tai  San  mountains  in  Japan,  returned  in  the  middle  of  October, 
1896,  and  remained  in  Seoul  until  late  in  the  winter  of  1896^7. 

487 


I; 


'i 


l!)   rt 


428 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


customary  rites  at  the  spirit  shrine,  to  which  the  fragmentary 
remains  of  the  murdered  Queen  had  been  removed,  to  wait  until 
the  geomancers  could  decide  on  an  "auspicious  "  site  for  her 
grave,  the  one  which  had  been  prepared  for  her  at  an  enormous 
expense  some  miles  outside  the  city  having  just  been  pro- 
nounced "unlucky." 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival  the  King  went  to  the  Kyeng- 
wjn  Palace  to  receive  a  Japanese  prince,  and  courteously  ar- 
ranged to  give  me  an  audience  afterwards,  to  which  I  went, 
attended,  as  on  the  last  occasion,  by  the  British  Legation  in- 
terpreter.    The  entrances  were  guarded  by  a  number  of  slouch- 
ing sentries  in  Japanese  uniforms.     Their  haw,  which  had 
been  cropped  at  the  time  of  the  abolition  of  the  "topknot," 
had  grown  again,  and  hung  in  heavy  shocks  behind  their  ear's, 
giving  them  a  semi -barbarous  appearance.    At  the  second  gate  I 
alighted,  no  chair  being  permitted  to  enter,  and  walked  to  a 
very  simple  audience  hall,  then  used  for  the  first  time,  about 
ao  feet  by  12  feet,  of  white  wood,  with  lattice  doors  and  win- 
dows, both  covered  with  fine  white  paper,  and  with  fine  white 
mats  on  the  floor. 

The  King  and  Crown  Prince,  both  of  whom  were  in  deep 
mourning,  />.  in  pure  white  robes  with  sleeveless  dresses  of 
exquisitely  fine  buff  grass-cloth  over  them,  and  fine  buff  crino- 
line hats,  stood  together  at  the  upper  end  of  the  room,  sur- 
rounded by  eunuchs,  court  ladies,  including  the  reigning 
favorites,  the  ladies  I^ak  and  Om,  and  Court  functionaries,  all 
in  mourning,  the  whole  giving  one  an  impression  of  absolute 
spotlessness.  The  waists  of  the  voluminous  white  skirts  of  the 
ladies,  which  are  a  yard  too  long  for  them  all  round,  were  as 
high  up  as  It  is  possible  to  place  them. 

The  King  and  Crown  Prince  bowed  and  smiled.  I  made 
the  required  three  curtseys  to  each,  and  the  interpreter  adopted 
the  deportment  required  by  Court  etiquette,  crouching,  looking 
down,  and  speaking  in  an  awe-struck  whisper.  I  had  not  seen 
the  King  for  two  years,  a  period  of  great  anxiety  and  vicissi- 


he  fragmentary 
:d,  to  wait  until 
s  "site  for  her 
at  an  enormous 
just  been  pro- 

to  the  Kyeng- 
courteously  ar- 
which  I  went, 
h  Legation  in- 
nber  of  slouch - 
i/,  which  had 
le  "topknot," 
ind  their  ears, 
e  second  gate  I 
id  walked  to  a 
St  time,  about 
oors  and  win- 
rith  fine  white 

were  in  deep 
ess  dresses  of 
ne  buff  cri no- 
he  room,  sur- 
the  reigning 
ctionaries,  all 
)n  of  absolute 
5  skirts  of  the 
)und,  were  as 

led,  I  made 
reter  adopted 
liing,  looking 
had  not  seen 
f  and  vicissi- 


1^ 

t/5 

o 
-] 
u 

u 

u 
u 

< 

< 

a. 

Q 


►J 
o 

w 


Seoul  in  1897  429 

tude  to  him,  but  he  was  not  looking  worn  or  older,  and  when 
1  congratulated  him  on  his  personal  security  and  the  assump- 
tion  of  his  regal  functions  he  expressed  himself  cordially  in 
reply,  wjth  an  air  of  genuine  cheerfulness.  In  the  brief  con- 
versation which  followed  the  Crown  Prince  took  part,  and 
showed  a  fair  degree  of  intelligence,  as  well  as  a  much  ira- 
proved  physique. 

Later  I  had  two  informal  audiences  of  the  King  in  his  house 
in  the  centre  of  the  mass  of  the  new  buildings  of  the  Kyeng- 
wun  Palace.     It  is  a  detached  Korean  dwelling  of  the  best 
Korean  workmanship,  with  a  deep-caved,  tiled  roof,  the  carved 
beams  of  which  are  elaborately  painted,  and  their  terminals 
decorated  wuh  the  five-petalled  plum  blossom,  the  dynastic  em- 
blem.    The  house  consists  of  a  hall  with  a  kang  floor,  divided 
into  one  large  and  two  small  rooms  by  sliding  and  removable 
partitions  of  fretwork,  filled  in  with  fine  tissue  paper,  the  win- 
dows which  occupy  the  greater  part  of  both  sides  being  of  the 
same  construction.    The  very  small  rooms  at  each  end  are  in- 
dicated as  the  sleeping  apartments  of  the  King  and  his  son  by 
pale  blue  silk  mattresses  laid  upon  the  fine  white  mats  which 
cover  the  whole  floor.     The  only  furniture  was  two  ten-leaved 
white  screens.     The  fastenings  of  the  windows  and  partitions 
are  of  very  fine  Korean  brasswork.     Simplicity  could  not  go 
further.  * 

Opposite  is  the  much-adorned  spirit  shrine  of  the  late  Queen, 
connected  with  the  house  by  a  decorated  gallery.     The  inner 
palace  enclosure,  where  these  buildings  are,  is  very  small,  and 
behind  the  King's  house  rises  into  a  stone  terrace.     Numerous 
as  IS  the  King's  guard,  it  is  evident  that  he  fears  to  rely  upon 
It  solely,  for  of  two  gates  leading  from  his  house  one  opens  into 
quarters  occupied  by  Russian  officers,  who  arrived  in  Seoul  in 
the  autumn  of  1890,  at  the  King's  request,  for  purposes  of  mili- 
tary organization  J  and  the  other  into  small  barracks  occupied 
by  the  Russian  drill  instructors  of  the  Korean  army.    Through 
the  former  he  could  reach  the  grounds  of  the  English  Legation 


430 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


in  one  minute,  and  after  his  former  experiences  possibilities  of 
escape  must  be  his  first  consideration.  The  small  buildings  of 
this  new  palace  were  already  crowded  like  a  rabbit  warren, 
and  when  completed  will  contain  over  i,ooo  people,  includ' 
ing  the  bodyguard,  eunuchs,  and  Court  officials  innumerable, 
writers,  readers,  palace  ladies,  palace  women,  and  an  immense 
establishment  of  cooks,  runners,  servants,  and  all  the  supera- 
bundant and  useless  entour  ge  of  an  Eastern  Sovereign,  to  whom 
crowds  and  movement  represent  power.  This  congeries  of 
buildings  was  carefully  guarded,  and  even  the  Korean  soldier 
who  attended  on  me  was  not  allowed  to  pass  the  gate. 

The  King  had  given  me  permission  to  take  his  photograph 
for  Queen  Victoria,  and  I  was  arranging  the  room  for  the  pur- 
pose when  the  interpreter  shouted  '«  His  Majesty,"  and  almost 
before  I  could  step  back  and  curtsey,  the  King  and  Crown 
Prince  entered,  followed  by  the  Officers  of  the  Household  and 
several  of  the  Ministers,  a  posse  of  the  newfangled  police 
crowding  the  veranda  outside.     The  Sovereign,  always  cour- 
teous, asked  if  1  would  like  to  take  one  of  the  portraits  in  his 
royal  robes.     The  rich  crimson  brocade  and  the  gold  embroid- 
ered plastrons  on  his  breast  and  shoulders  became  him  well, 
and  his  pose  was  not  deficient  in  dignity.     He  took  some 
trouble  to  arrange  the  Crown  Prince  to  the  best  advantage  but 
the  result  was  unsuccessful.     After  the  operation  was  over  he 
examined  the  different  parts  of  the  camera  with  interest,  and 
seemed  specially  cheerful. 

At  a  farewell  audience  some  weeks  later  the  King  reverted 
to  the  subject  of  a  British  Minister,  accredited  solely  to  Korea; 
and  the  interpreter  added,  as  an  aside,  "  His  Majesty  is  very 
anxious  about  this. "  He  hardly  seemed  to  realize  that  even  if 
a  change  in  the  representation  were  contemplated,  it  could 
scarcely  be  carried  out  while  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  who  is 
accredited  to  both  Courts,  remains  Minister  at  Peking. 

The  King  was  for  more  than  a  year  the  guest  of  the  Russian 
Legation,  an  arrangement  most  distasteful  to  a  large  number 


THE  KING  OF  KOREA. 


ii 


fcoiil  ill   iH(jy 


43> 

of  hi,  .ubjrcu.  who  naturally  reganle,!  it  a,  a  national  hunnlj. 
ation  that  thc.r  Sovereign  should  be  un.lrr  the  ,m.,ection  of  a 
fore.gn  flag  Rumors  of  plots  for  removing  him  to  the  I'alace 
from  which  he  escaped  were  rife,  and  there  were  days  on  which 
he  feared  to  v.sit  the  Queen's  tablet-house  unless  Russian  offi- 
cers  walked  beside  his  chair. 

Mr.  Waeber.  the  Russian  Minister,  had  then  been  in  Korea 
twelve  years      He  is  an  able  and  faithful  servant  of  Russia 
He  was  trusted  by  the  King  and  the  whole  forngn  communuy." 
•nd  up  to  the  time  of  the  Ife^ira  had  been  a  warm  and  judU 

Z7JTV'  '^'  ^"''"''     "'^  «"''^^"-  ■   '«•''  have  pre- 
vented the  Kmg  from  making  infamous  appoint,  ,ents  and  arbi- 
trary  arrests,  from  causelessly  removing  officials  u   <,  were  work- 
•ng  well,  and   from  such  reckless  extravagance     as  a  costly 
Embassy  to  the  European  Courts  and  a  foolish  inc  ease  of  the 
army  and  pohce  force.     But  he  remained  passive,  a.  lowing  the 
Koreans  to  "stew  in  their  own  juice."  acting  poss  biy  under 
orde«  from  home  to  give  Korea  "rope  enongMo  h.,g it 
sel .    a  proceedmg  which  might  hereafter  give  Russi    a  legiti- 
mate excuse  for  interference.     Apart  from  such  instru  tions.  it 
must  remain  an  inscrutable  mystery  why  so  excelle,  t  a  man 
and  so  capable  a  diplomatist  when  absolutely  mastc    of  the 
situation  neglected  to  aid  the  Sovereign  with  his  valu.   ,le  ad- 
vice,  a  course  which  would  have  met  with  the  cordial  a,  .rovai 
of  all  his  colleagues. 

B,  that  as  it  may,  the  liberty  which  the  King  has  e,  .yed 
at  the  Russian  Legation  and  since  has  not  been  for  the  a  van- 
tage of  Korea,  and  recent  policy  contrasts  unfavorably  vith 
tlut  pursued  during  the  period  of  Japanese  ascendency,  whch. 
on  the  whole,  was  in  the  direction  of  progress  and  righte.  us^ 

,oi?'V''"'''u^'"°PP^*^  "P  ^^^y'  ^'"'^^"«  ^"d  other  favori  es 
sold  offices  unblushingly.  and  when  specific  charges  were  maJe 
against  one  of  the  King's  chief  favorites,  the  formal  dema.l 
for  his  prosecution  was  oiet  by  m^Jcing  him  Vice-Minister  of 


432 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


Education  !     The  King,  freed  from  the  control  of  the  muti- 
nous officers  and  usurping  Cabinet  of  8th  October,  1895,  from 
the  Queen's  strong  though  often  unscrupulous  guidance,  and 
from  Japanese  ascendency,  and  finding  himself  personally  safe, 
has  reverted  to  some  of  the  worst  traditions  of  his  dynasty, 
and  in  spite  of  certain  checks  his  edicts  are  again  law  and  his 
will  absolute.     And  it  is  a  will  at  the  mercy  of  any  designing 
person  who  gets  hold  of  him  and  can  work  upon  his  fears  and 
his  desire  for  money— of  the  ladies  Pak  and  Om,  who  assisted 
him  in  his  flight,  and  of  favorites  and  sycophants  low  and 
many,  who  sell  or  bestow  on  members  of  their  families  offices 
they  have  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  from  his  pliable  good 
nature.     With  an  ample  Civil  List  and  large  perquisites  he  is 
the  most  impecunious  person  in  his  dominions,  for  in  common 
with  all  who  occupy  official  positions  in  Korea  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  hosts  of  grasping  parasites  and  hangers-on,  for 
ever  clamoring  "Give,  Give." 

Men  were  thrown  into  prison  without  reason,  some  of  the 
worst  of  the  canaille  were  made  Ministers  of  State,  the  mur- 
derer of  Kim  Ok-yun  was  appointed  Master  of  Ceremony, 
and  a  convicted  criminal,  a  man  whose  life  has  been  one 
career  of  sordid  crime,  was  made  Minister  of  Justice.     Con- 
sequent upon  the  surreptitious  sale  of  offices,  the  seizure  of 
revenue  on  its  way  to  the  Treasury,  the  appointment  of  men  to 
office  for  a  few  days,  to  give  them  "rank"  and  to  enable 
them  to  quarter  on  the  public  purse  a  host  of  impecunious  re- 
lations and  friends,  and  the  custom  among  high  officials  of 
resigning  office  on  the  occasion  of  the  smallest  criticism,  the 
administration  is  in  a  state  of  constant  chaos,  and  the  ofttimes 
well-meaning  but  always  vacillating  Sovereign,  absolute  with- 
out an  idea  of  how  to  rule,  the  sport  of  favorites  usually  un- 
worthy, who  work  upon  his  amiability,  the  prey  of  greedy 
parasites,  and  occasionally  the  tool  of  foreign   adventurers, 
paralyzes  all  good  government  by  destroying  the  elements  of 
permanence,  and  renders  economy  and  financial  reform  diffi- 


Seoul  in  1897  a  00 

cult  and  spasmodic  by  consenting  to  schemes  of  reckless  ex- 
travagance urged  upon  him  by  interested  schemers.  Never 
has  the  King  made  such  havoc  of  reigning  as  since  he  re- 
gamed  his  freedom  under  the  roof  of  the  Russian  Embassy. 

I  regret  to  have  to  write  anyihing  to  the  King's  disadvan- 
tage.    Personally  I  have  found  him  truly  courteous  and  kind 
as  he  is  to  all  foreigners.     He  has  amiable  characteristics,  and 
I  believe  a  certain  amount  of  patriotic  feeling.     But  as  he  is 
an  all-important  element  of  the  present  and  future  condition 
of  Korea,  it  would  be  misleading  and  dishonest  to  pass  over 
without  remark  such  characteristics  of  his  character  and  rule 
as  are  disastrous  to  Korea,  bearing  in  mind  in  extenuation  of 
them  that  he  is  the  product  of  five  centuries  of  a  dynastic  tra- 
dition  which  has  practically  taught  that  public  business  and 
the  interests  of  the  country  mean  for  the  Sovereign  simply  get- 
tmg  offices  and  pay  for  favorites,  and  that  statesmanship  con- 
sists  m  playing  off  one  Minister  against  another. 

Novelties  in  the  Seoul  streets  were  the  fine  physique  and 
long  gray  uniforms  of  Colonel  Putiata  and  his  subordinates 
three  officers  and  ten  drill-instructors,  who  arrived  to  drill 
and  discipline  the  Korean  army,  the  American  military  ad- 
viser having  proved  a  failure,  while  the  troops  drilled  by  the 
Japanese  were  mutinous  and  rapacious,  and  the  Japanese  drill- 
instructors  had  retired  with  the  rest  of  the  re^me.     This 
"Military  Commission  "  was  doing  its  work  with  characteris- 
tic vigor  and  thoroughness,  and  the  flat-faced,  pleasant-look- 
ing,  non-commissioned  officers,   with  their    drilled  slouch 
serviceable  uniforms,  and  long  boots  were  always  an  attraction 
to  the  crowd.     A  novelty,  too,  was  the  sight  of  the  Korean 
cadet  car/s  of  thirty-seven  young  men  of  good  families  and 
seven  officers,  marching  twice  daily  between  the  drill  ground 
of  the  Korean  troops  close  to  the  Kyeng-pok  Palace  and  their 
own  barracks  behind  the  Russian  Legation,  with  drums  beat- 
ing  and  colors  flying.     These  young  men,  who  are  to  receive 
a  two  years'  military  education  from  Russian  officers,  are  un- 


434  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors       • 

accoutrements,  and  hard  work  for  "  ^  °"'"'"''=  ""^ 
Tl.=  army  „„„  cottsists  of  4' „o  me"  1  &  7V'  ""  <'^^- 
are  drilled  as  a  bodyguard  ffr,rv  '  *°°  °'  "'""» 

provinces,  in  JapauesI  unTforlf      ,       *'  """  ''"»  '"  "■» 

.;)  With  3,ooi  Ls,"rit™:;sre?:y^''if„^:'::  K '''^^ 

The  dnil  and  words  of  command  are  Russian  °"'^ 

for'aiJp^r^L^esT Ue/Td  ^  "T  "^^  "^  ^"^cien. 

°f  0,000  is  an  unb,urA"X,:etdThr;  ■"■"^ 

her  resources.     It  is  mn«  ■,,„k  ti      ,  '^""J'  <*'''""  ™ 

armed  by  Russia,  ac  us""  d^^'t  p"  '  f<"- billed  and 
-ted  byanin,;„seTeX;ha:^'lfT"  <"^— 'l  ani- 
a  valuable  «r^^  ^.„„„^,  to  R„«  "^  ■'"P""'  """W  prove 
.ha.  ambitiousld  rXempt       '"  '"=  "'"'  "'  ""  -* 

The  old  itsa  or  .fj/ir  ifai-mts  with  .^•;      • 
and  long  red  plum«  are  now  onir,„  h       ""=""•«'"■«  ^'^ 
in  attendance  on  olScialsof  tTCe^n  o"'  "'  "'^'""'^• 
«  now  policed,  much  overpoiced   f^"  u ""T'"'-    ^«"'' 
men,  when  a  quarter  of  Vh;,         ,  '^  *  '°™  °f  '.»<>o 

■■«  orderly  po  ^Cn     EvlXr:'™,'''  """^--^for 
men  on  and  off  duty  in  Ial!Z  ''"''^''  "^  ^'-'"'^'■ing 

shocks  of  hair  ^^^ll^^Z^ZTV-^'"'""^-^^ 
scabbards  by  their  sides,  s'gl^  „"1  "al' ""  ""'^'-'""«' 
Penditure.  The  soldier  and  police  b'  T  "'™=«="' «" 
ment  made  by  the  Taoan^.  f  i    '    '^    "  """'«  ""nge- 

alter,  are  enormousVoZaM  e  "  u-  ''""'^  P""'"'  •» 
lars  and  a  half  a  mon^  "fn  f  !,. '■'"""'""«  ^'^  ^ol- 
e;.h.  to  ten,  only  Zdtg  th  Td  '^,"''  '"=■-•- '- 
about  the  most  highly  pfid  h  te  world  t?™"  ""^ '^ 
rean  m  his  great  baggy  trousers  mT'  .  """«'  '^°- 
brimmed  hat,  capacioSslelr  a  .'d  lotT""='  ''™''- 
^  "snally  a  docile  and  harmlCllT^e  ^tS 


.it.  1 


to  find  that 
training  in- 
ti  rifles  and 
'f  the  day. 
3  of  whom 
■oo  in  the 
far  as  they 
to  Korea. 

1  sufficient 
5  ^;  army 
drain  on 
billed  and 
'  and  ani- 
jld  prove 
war  with 

e  dresses 
Lt  rarely, 
■    Seoul 

>f  I,200 

:ient  for 
ouching 
ns,  with 
I-plated 
[ant  ex- 
rrange- 
ible  to 
ve  dol- 
e  from 
rmy  is 
jeKo- 
broad- 
'  coat, 
lothes 


Vi 


u 


in 


a; 


7) 

t/2 


a, 

O 
u 


w 


u 


o 
1^ 


Seoul  in  1897 


435 

through  .,fe  coumy  w  e  a^e™  ":,?"''';""'"•"'<' 
brutality  and  mara„cli„g7r„pe  s  ,«  L  vi„T  "?  """ 
Russian  officers  ar»  m„™   "l«!nsilies  early  in  1897,  and  unless 

disoipiinC^-:  r„r  ■:nr:  :rjtt^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

the  requirements  of  the  couotrv  rZ  ''        "«'  '"' 

ness  and  frequent  disorder       ''      '  '"°'"  '  =°""^=  "'  "^k- 

both  sides,  bridged  bys™^  Ih  ,!  "?'"""'''  """""^'^  "» 
»hich  we;  bSng'1  J  tf'  hoi"''"  m' ''''''''' ^"'''• 
been  widened,  slimy^1,°,e  s  h^d  b  ^f"'""  '""'»  "-^O 

r;"s:ad:t;n£x-^^^^^^^^ 

had  been  er«tedta  'lb  ""''""'T'^''°'«  "'*«'«=  f""^ 
■■n.  Of  refus^ilrfo  IhVre?;:"  e^t^Sfe'L'ajr""" 

r™-:::™:  bir  .t'  a:;r„f'  — -  -  ^;: 

cleanest  city  of  ,be  Far  East ,  "  °"  "'  """  '"  '«'"8  ">= 

^o^irdT^j^r^'^'-^'r  *-^  ™*  "f  f°- 

Commisioner  of  Custom,  T,"^'  "1  '''^'"''  "'  "■=  ^hief 
intemgen.  Gov:Lor T  'e  ti.;  Tcha  v'  "'  t't'^  ^""^ 
quaiuted   himself  with   the  wtkil  „f  ^  ",'""""' ="=• 

Washington   and  wh„    -.i,  "        """■apal  affairs  in 

credit  ,0  htasei?  hi        "  ■"'  '"'^'''^  "''^^  «'  '>'■<' »", 

of  e!^ry  :;c'irof 'mtirr'"^  :i't  "^  "■•"•"  ^«™""'^'-» 
-ich  LLr  ^x^"--^- :uri:^^^^^^^^ 


43^  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

being  fast  improved  off  the  face  of  the  earth      V.f  u-     u-  . 

brisker  than  W^X  Z  TLdj   '"'r  ,'°°'^  '^'^^ 

far«  llrteTr  °°''' '"  *'  '""''"'«  "'  ^"^  thorough- 
lares  tnat  the  improvement  consists.     Verv  manv  nf .!,»  „ 
lanes  have  been  widened  th.r,  ,™j     ""X  "any  of  the  narrow 
and  stone  gutters  havXe„  b„i uIT,,"":'  '""  ^™"«'' 
by  the  people  themse7v«     a>  ?  ""  '"*''■ '"  »°™  •''^ 

P^uliaf  odor      toXs  ^t^lTT'!'  *^  '"^  P""*™'- 
enforced,  and  civihzation  C        u  .^"'""X 'Wlations  are 

removal  if  the    "ow  from  the  fromt'^;?  '  '"'«'"  '""  "" 

Pbo.ographfyr:-e--x;:atroft:i^;:^r 


w 

(/5 


u 

OS 


c/J 


c/3 


}* 


Seoul  in  1897  437 

IZT.'^  T"'"'' ''°"'""'  """  ">=  "Pi'al  is  being  recon 
..ructed  on  Korean  line,,  and  i,  no.  being  Eu.opeaniJd 
Chong-dong  ho»ever,  the  q„ar.er  devoid  TfoX  Le 

r^paL^i:7^erdrolX"nr„:'i^r^^^ 

Korean  Kings,  has  L  its  ideX  I  s  r«k  "S™  1  ,"" 
and  bou,de„  have  disappeared-L  ™  fga  l^^i 'bt' 
widened  and  .he  sides  chiselled  i„.o  smoJhness,  and  under 

iowelS  hdgh.  •  "^  '"""  '"=  '"^  "'"  "" 

Many  o.her  changes  were  nc.iceable.    The  Tai-won  Kun 

Western  Palaces,  w.th  their  enormous  accommodation  and  im 
mense  pleasure-grounds,  were  deserted,  and  were  a^readv  Z 

C?  '°  ^r''  ''''  J^P^"-  -1^--  h  "  ;  aS  the 
Par.  '.°  'T  °''"P'''  "^y  '""'^  <='°^e  to  the  Kyenipok 
Palace,  and,  reduced  to  the  modest  numbers  of  Tt.?.- 

ing  groups  of  houses  in  various  parts  of  the  canital   anH  fi,^ 
was  a  singular  «<  ^,o/^.v. »»  •       ,     .  capital,  and  there 

singular     boom     m  schools,  accompanied  by  a  military 


I 


J, 


438 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


'""-«,  had  been  edited  tit  Ki<  ""  ^.'".""''"  -""'  ^""f- 

a"d  published  a,  Gover„me",ul'  '  ?"T'°:  "^P""""". 
•entences  occur :_  "Ponse,  i„  K|„ch  the  following 

"■-iof /J.t°MiddirK[L'"'  f"  '"'  -'-of  civi. 
English,  French,  Germans  2  r/  •'"""  ^"'"'•"-  T"ks, 
and  beasts  than  t^en  a„d  L  .  ^'""^  ""^  "^  ''■■"  ''"<<« 
ing  of  fowls."  '     ''  """  '^"e-'^e^  ^"""d  like  the  chirp. 

and  erroneous,  and  i  a„^t"a  "0^,':"'°",''  ™'«»''  =''^"- 
customs,  which  are  not  w"   f '  Ir     *'  "l"'^  °f  ""l-arian 

Theyworshipthebea  „;X/br;  r'^'""-  '  '  ' 
ents,  they  insult  heaven  inZyl^^'^T  ?'"?  '°  •"'" 
relations.  This  is  truly  a  tvne  „T  b  ^"''.°"'"'°™  the  social 
"o.  worthy  of  .reatm™.^n'L°,^;^"J"  "'.--•»"<<  is 

«P^;allyasatthisti„..h.ref^irirs::XrS 

bn'  -  are  st'prised  to  fi  d  t    ,™ht°?t-  """  '"'«'°"  O' 
people  have  not  escaped  contalinatl    by"^^'""^  """'^^  -" 

"11  P-  42  it  is  said :  "  Of  !,«,.  ,1,.  „   . 

(Christianity)  has  been  irv.-n    7  '^^"^''  ^'  *'  ^^^ 

i'»  barbarous  teachnr  "!  "'. ""'?"-'"»«  '"eWorld  wifh 
of  Heaven  and  H  l^i,  /''"""'  -'t'  '^''^^  ">'  "»  «""« 
-orship,  and  inter  Icis  he*'"  T'''  ""  "^  "'  '"'""^^ 
of  Heaven  and  Earth.  Thesete.  h  r  *  1""'  ""  S"^' 
■n'ellect,  and  are  no.  worth  d^^i*; ,?""«'  °'  '  ^'^">"^ 


Seoul  in  1897 


439 


P.  50  :  "  How  grand  and  glorious  is  the  Empire  of  China, 
the  Middle  Kingdom  1  She  is  the  largest  and  richest  in  the 
world.  The  grandest  men  of  the  world  have  all  come  from 
the  Middle  Empire." 

This  tirade  from  an  official  pen  was  thought  worthy  of  a  re- 
monstrance from  the  foreign  representatives. 

The  graceful  Pat-low,  near  the  Peking  Pass,  at  which  gener- 
ations of  Korean  kings  had  publicly  acknowledged  Chinese 
suzerainty  by  awaiting  there  the  Imperial  Envoy  who  came  to 
invest  them  with  regal  rights,  was  removed,  and  during  my 
sojourn  the  foundation  of  an  arch  to  commemorate  the  as- 
sumption of  Independence  by  Korea  in  January,,  1895,  was  laid 
near  the  same  spot,  in  presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of  white- 
robed  men.  An  Independence  Club,  with  a  disused  Royal 
Pavilion  near  the  stumps  of  the  Pai-low  for  its  Club  House, 
had  been  established  to  commemorate  and  conserve  the 
national  autonomy,  and  though  the  entrance  fee  is  high,  had 
already  a  membership  of  2,000. 

After  a  number  of  patriotic  speeches  had  been  made  on  the 
occasion  of  the  laying  of  the  foundation  of  the  independence 
arch,  the  Club  entertained  the  Foreign  Legations  and  all  the 
foreign  residents  at  a  richerchi  "collation"  in  this  building; 
speeches  were  made  both  by  Koreans  and  the  Foreign  Repre- 
sentatives, and  an  extraordinary  innovation  was  introduced. 
Waiters  were  dispensed  with,  and  the  Committee  of  the  Club, 
the  Governor  of  Seoul,  and  several  of  the  Ministers  of  Slate 
themselves  attended  upon  the  guests  with  much  grace  and 
courtesy. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  Seoul  was  the  establish- 
ment in  April,  1896,  by  Dr.  Jaisohn  of  the  Independent,  a  two- 
page  tri-weekly  newspaper  in  English  and  the  Korean  script, 
enlarged  early  in  1897  to  four  pages,  and  published  separately 
in  each  language.  Only  those  who  have  formed  some  idea  of 
the  besotted  ignorance  of  the  Korean  concerning  current 
events  in  his  own  country,  and  of  the  credulity  which  makes 


440  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

which  ,l,allsiUnj2en.  on  'l,""j'"l"  P""''  "Ptaio- 
i»  already  fulfilling  an  r^ll  t^  '!"'  "«'"'"  '"»''«')>.  It 
and  dragging  ,i,/„  i„  Xyth,"".!?" '"  ""'""""(tabu.™ 
rational  educa.ion  and  rSnabt  r  "''"«'"''"''' f" 
■omething  of  a  .mor  .oS  '  '  n"'  r ""  ''  '«"°""8 
P'il)  is  a  Korean  gentleman  elo^tn  •  /'  ^'"'°'"'  ^^^  ^Wa 
"ejfare  of  l,i,  co/n.ry  rrlghTyrbLt""''^^'  '"^  ""  "" 

reading  tbemTnTb  ,"  fZ'T:  "  "?"""'  ""■'  "'  -" 
Besides  .1«  /,„l,p„LTT'  '  ""  "°"'"'«  of  '897. 

^'»,-  and  .he  KoL?  ;'7-^'*'''''''''''"<''l'««'-'>',», 
■oonthly  magazine  rrS.,  ?"!'""  <^'''-  P"""''™  a 
and  foreign'ne^    ^t  ch  t     'a  t      '  k""'-  '"'"■""'  "'="«• 

Japanew  and  Korean  srrint  „.  1 1'  ^  ^'"''  """',  m  mixed 

•here  are  newspap^in    ,',!"'*'?  °"  """'»»  "■'y'-  and 

and  Chemulpo'  'aI     h  «  td  ,?    r'^''  ''°"'  '"  f""" 

^"'VoO'.are'.begrowtronheL  h  '"""""'"  """'"'  ^'- 
The  fcri,I.„  „<■        ,  •      .        ^''  ""■^^  years. 

•he  :^tli  ~r:re";r''^  "'^^^  '"  '^°-  -  ■»  Chin. 
«  »eing  turned  .0  use^  r/nrThlrr^'"'  "■'  "™"«- 
aSKciation,  „hich  represents  one  If  .^"'  °'  P""=''''=  "^ 
features  of  Korea,  develoos  n„  "  "  "'°"  "oteworthv 

benefit  associatlons/ron^  ,  I™"™^«  ""■?»"'•«.  "-'"ai 
riage  and  burial  clubs,  great  trad^rt''"''  '°""'"'»'  ■""- 
^  With  its  innumerailf^s.^ 'til*"'"'- ='"'' "any  others, 
have  alluded  to,  Korean  Hf!^!"  •,""'''  "  *"  "f  «hich  I 
Korean  business  „orTVfe/l^:^"f^  ""'"^^'  '""  "" 
nearly  all  the  traders  in  the  con  n^!  1  ">'  "«""«''  "'»n  ours. 

Po«rfully  bound  together,  and  .Ivin^.h!  °"°"""  "'  «"''*• 

'   ^  "*^'"«^  the  common  feature  of 


Seoul  in   1897  441 

mutual  helpfulness  in  time  of  need.  This  habit  of  united 
action,  and  the  measure  of  honesty  which  is  essential  to  the 
•uccess  of  combined  undertakings,  supply  the  framework  on 
which  various  jo.nt-stock  companies  are  being  erected,  among 
which  one  of  the  most  important  is  a  tannery.  Korean  hides 
have  huherto  been  sent  to  Japan  to  be  manufactured,  owl!; 
to  caste  and  superstitious  prejudices  against  working  in  leather 
The  establishment  of  this  company,  which  broughfover  ul 
nese  instructors  to  teach  the  methods  of  manufacture,  has  not 
only  made  an  end  of  a  foolish  prejudice,  in  the  capital  at 

following.  "  °^'"'"^  '  '"^  '""''''"  '"^"^'^y'  ^"d  °^h^"  -r« 

21  f  h  J     .n  "  °"  "^'  ^'^"'^  '"'■^•"«"^-    It  '"-y  be  said 

who   h'n  7       "  '"  ''' ''  '^  ''''''''  ''  -»  -  t'-  Judges 
who  shall  administer  ,t  equably.     A  mixed  Committee  of  Re- 
vision has  been  appointed,  but  the  Korean  members  show  a 
marked  tendency  to  drop  off.  and  no  legal  reform,  sol.  )v  the 
work  of  foreigners,  would  carry  weight  with  the  people.  "  Mr 
Greathouse.  a  capable  lawyer  and  legal  adviser  to  the  Lw  De- 
partment, has  been  able  to  prevent  some  infamous  transactions, 
b  t  on  the  whole  the  Seoul  Law  Court  does  little  more  than  ad! 
minister  injustice  and  receive  bribes.     Of  the  two  Law  Courts 
of  the  capital  the  Supreme  Court,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Minister  and  Vice-Minister  of  Justice,  and  in  which  the  foreign 
adviser  sits  with  the  judges  to  advise  in  important  cases,  is  the 
mos  hopeful;  yet  one  of  the  most  disgraceful  of  late  appoint- 
ments has  been  in  connection  with  this  department.     The  out- 
rageous  decisions,  the  gross  bribery,  and  the  actual  atrocities 
of  the  Seou  Court  are  likely  to  bring  about  its  abolition,  and 
I  will  not  enlarge  upon  them. 

One  of  the  most  striking  changes  introduced  into  the  Seoul 
Of  1897  IS  the  improvement  in  the  prison,  which  is  greatly 
owing  to  Mr.  A.  B.  Stripling,  formerly  of  the  Shanghai  Police 
who,  occupying  a  position  as  adviser  to  the  Police  Department, 


I 


442  Korea  and  Her  Neighbo-s 

is  carrying  out  prison  reforms,  originally  suggested  bv  the 
Japanese,  in  a  humane  and  enlightened  manner     t1^  u 

"ary,  i8„,  were  subjected  to  i,  el^where  '  '  ^''"' 

givr'me  a  1!^       *      ?^  °'  "  f°™"  ''"«>"  ">  Seoul,  have 

stoeH       a  d\t:e  /d'll''"''"  ""t  "'  *'  ""--  "- 

co.»pa.t.  b'tlrfbeT  cuTrit^/oV'-S  .T^ 
not  a  usual  temDerati.re      ti       u  f  ''  ^"^  ^"^'s  '» 

those  who  go  out  to  work  get  a  third  meal      Thic        f'  ! 
cost  iXd.  per  day.  *     ^'"'^  ^"P^^  ^^'^t 

nar^m"" /r  '"''"  *°  "^'^^^"  P"—  ^  ^-^  ordi- 
nary room,  and  fifty  were  awaiting  trial  in  one  roomy  hall     A 

•5»«^-»>  uui  1  aid  not  see  anv  fettpre     tu^  Ti 

^;..g  in  their  own  mattresses,  ifs  ^d  .I^IZl'ZfoL' 

cooiies  outside.     A  perforated  wooden  bar  attarhf.H  f«  .u 

s^:::!  r'yr"  ^°™^'«"^'"«  pe*-  0-2;^ 

secures  the  legs  of  the  pr  soners  at  nieht     Th*  =;  i,  ,       ' 

thirtiir  «r>  *i     1-  .  «       •'""cia  cti  nignt.     Ine  sick  were  Iv  uff 

.io^rstnrinTefr"'"^'"^"''"'^"  ■"™-     aassfaca. 


Seoul  in   1897 


443 


conspiracy  were  with  convicted  felons,  who  might  or  migiit 
not  be  acting  as  spies  and  informers  ;  a  very  fine-looking  man, 
sentenced  for  life,  the  first  magistrate  in  Korea  ever  convicted 
and  punished  for  bribery,  and  that  on  the  complaint  of  a 
simple  citizen,  was  in  a  "cell"  with  criminals  wearing 
cangues.  Some  of  the  sentences  seemed  out  of  proportion  to 
the  offences,  as,  for  instance,  a  feeble  old  man  was  immured 
for  three  years  for  cutting  and  carrying  off  pine  brush  for  fuel, 
and  an  old  blind  man  of  some  position  was  incarcerated  for 
ten  years  for  the  violation  of  a  grave  under  circumstances  of 
provocation. 

Much  has  been  done  in  the  way  of  prison  reform,  and  much 
remains  to  be  done,  specially  in  the  direction  of  classification, 
but  still  the  great  Seoul  prison  contrasts  most  favorably  with 
the  prisons  of  China  and  other  unreformed  Oriental  countries. 
Torture  is  at  least  nominally  abolished,  and  brutal  exposures 
of  severed  heads  and  headless  trunks,  and  beating  and  slicing 
to  death,   were  made  an  end  of  during  the  ascendency  of 
Japan.     After  an  afternoon  in  the  prison  of  Seoul,  I  could 
hardly  believe  it  possible  that  only  two  years  before  I  had  seen 
several  human  heads  hanging  from  tripod  stands  and  lying  on 
the  ground  in  the  throng  of  a  business  street,  and  headless 
bodies  lying  in  their  blood  on  the  road  outside  the  East  Gate. 
To  mention  the  changes  in  Seoul  would  take  another  chap- 
ter.    Dr.  Allen,  now  U.S.  Minister  to  Korea,  said  that  the 
last  four  months  of  1896  had  seen  more  alterations  than  the 
previous  twelve  years  of  his  residence  in  the  country,  and  the 
three  months  of  my  last  visit  brought  something  new  every 
week. 

As  a  foil  to  so  much  that  is  indicative  of  progress,  I  con- 
clude this  chapter  by  mentioning,  on  the  authority  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Seoul,  that  in  January,  1897,  there  were  in  the  cap- 
ital a  thousand  mu-tang,  or  sorceresses,  earning  on  an  average 
fifteen  dollars  a  month  each,  representing  an  annual  ex- 
penditure by  that  single  city  of  a  hundred  and  eighty  thou- 


A 


444 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


sand  dollars  on  dealings  with  f),-     •  • 

-™  paid  .0  .hebH:?:*;'  r;h:"^'"*=°'''-^'-«= 

geomancers,  whose  claims  on  thl„  ''™"^'  """  '<>  «>= 

-r  one  o,  „„k  and  .eaU^r slX^ir:'"'""™'  <" 


KOREAN   POLICEMEN 
Old  /Hifgfmt 

New  iV«'^,-»„ 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

LAST  WORDS  ON   KOREA 

'T^HE  patient  reader  has  now  learned  with  me  something  of 
X     Korean  history  during  the  last  three  years,  as  well  as  of 
the  reorganized  methods  of  Government,  and  the  education, 
trade    and  finance  of  the  country.     He  has  also  by  proxy 
travelled  in  the  interior,  and  has  lived  among  the  peasant 
farmers,  seeing  their  industries,  the  huckstering  which  passes 
for  trade,  something  of  their  domestic  life  and  habits,  and  the 
superstitions  by  which  they  are  enslaved,  and  has  acquired 
some  knowledge  of  the  official  and  patrician  exactions  under 
which  they  suffer.     He  has  seen  the  Koreans  at  home,  with 
their  limpness,  laziness,  dependence,  and  poverty,  and  Koreans 
under  Russian  rule  raised  into  a  thrifty  and  prosperous  popu- 
lation.    He  can  to  some  extent  judge  for  himself  of  the  pros- 
pects  of  a  country  which  is  incapable  of  standing  alone,  and 
which  could  support  double  its  present  population,  and  of  the 
value  of  a  territory  which  is  possibly  coveted  by  two  Powers. 
Having  acted  as  his  guide  so  far,  I  should  like  to  conclude 
with  a  few  words  on  some  of  the  subjects  which  have  been 
glanced  at  in  the  course  of  these  volumes. 

Korea  is  not  necwanVy  a  poor  country.  Her  resources  are 
undeveloped,  not  exhausted.  Her  capacities  for  successful 
agriculture  are  scarcely  exploited.  Her  climate  is  superb,  her 
rainfall  abundant,  and  her  soil  productive.  Her  hills  and 
valleys  contain  coal,  iron,  copper,  lead,  and  gold.  The  fish- 
eries along  her  coast-line  of  1,740  miles  might  be  a  source  of 
untold  wealth  She  is  inhabited  by  a  hardy  and  hospitable 
race,  and  she  has  no  beggar  class. 

445 


446  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors       ' 

Ha.io.ns,  sp.„c,  .hd?  liveat  Lc  ,1"' t^fn"'^?'^' °''"- 
■10  careers  are  open ;  the-  •  are  nnZT^  ""  '""'<"=  «'"« 

'hey  can  ,„„■  .heir  en  rg^  The  „  r""""""^  '°  '''>ich 
than  is  necessary  to  keep  tte  lu  "''''^  "°*  "°  harder 
cien,  reasons.  Even  ^Seo!,]  l/""  *'  ''""'•'  '°'  "'^ ^""i- 
■»en,s  have  hardly  ri^uftt'  "f'^'""'^=»'''"«al'feh. 
Korea  has  been  on  a  lo!  rl  "'°'^-    ^^"yMm  in 

Cass  and  cmcial  e  altb„n''.oTaUb  "''•     ^'^  ^''"'4" 
«™rity  of  al!  earnings  a  Gov!  "'  °'  >"'''^'-  'he  in- 

'he  »ors,  traditions  of;hichTr:r  ""l^^""  ''"''^  ^' 
■nents  are  based,  a  class  of  offill  1^™"'  °"'"'^'  G"™"" 
"  monarch  enfeebled  bv,h°f  ''°^''"'  ''«?«' '"  '»'">«, 

pet'lnessesoftheX^o'  X;r  """^  ""'^^^  ="^  *= 
corrupt  of  e,„pi„s,  thf^tlralorof"''' °""f ''■' ^ 
«s.  and  an  all-pervading  and  te  r^  Sn'?        ""'"*  '""'«"■ 
'heir  best  to  reduce  Korea  to  ZT  J  .'"P"^"«on  have  done 
and  dreary  squalor  ,7which  I  flrH'"™  "' '^^^celessness 
^^^  Which  I  formed  my  fe,  impression  of 

an'rhtdTptlSr  ^'^  "■"'• '"  ""  -.  her  soil. 

'hotsfnTs' oflltS  r  itr^/V'  "^''"  ■•"  '">'^- 
ing,"  on  relations  or  friends    'h^*'  °1  '""«'"8'  "'  "=«- 
selves.    There  is  „„  sharaetn  T,""  ■*""  ""  """'  'hem- 
public  opinion  to  contm    °     aZTT:""  "■"'  '^  "° 
come,  however  small  has  to  „m„    .  ^^'  "  ""^'n  '"• 

his  wife's  relations  ma^'Vr      '^^  "^  ^is  own  kindred, 
of  his  relatives.    TWroartll    ,  °™  I""""'  """  '^e  Wend 
offices,  and  'heir  p^s  tL    a's ""T  u  '"*  ""  °°'"™™' 
man  burdened  wi.'h  a  ZiTort'^tlZ:"''"''-    ^"  " 

-- continual  creation'^f^^Ciro^.h^-l- 


e  lie  dormant, 
of  social  obli- 
£  middle  class 
ions  to  which 
ork  no  harder 
for  very  suffi- 
tile  establish- 
everything  in 
>s  privileges, 
stice,  the  in- 
i  carried  out 
Ual  Govern- 
in  intrigue, 
ice  and  the 
of  the  most 
ted  foreign - 
i  have  done 
ircelessness 
aression  of 

»  her  soil, 

:  in  which 
or  "sorn- 
lan  them- 
here  is  no 
ertain  in- 
kindred, 
e  friends 
'ernment 
s.    To  a 
.^enue  of 
bles  him 
iccounts 
il  object 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


447 


l 


than  the  pensioning  of  the  relatives  and  friends  of  the  men 
who  rule  the  country.  Above  all,  this  explains  the  frequency 
of  conspiracies  and  small  revolutions  in  Korea.  Principle  is 
rarely  at  stake,  and  no  Korean  revolutionist  intends  to  risk  his 
life  in  support  of  any  conviction. 

Hundreds  of  men,  strong  in  health  and  of  average  intelli- 
gence, are  at  this  moment  hanging  on  for  everything,  even 
their  tobacco,  to  high  officials  in  Seoul,  eating  three  meals  a 
day,  gossiping  and  plotting  misdeeds,  the  feeling  of  honorable 
mdependence  being  unknown.     When  it  is  desirable  to  get 
rid  of  them,  or  it  is  impossible  to  keep  them  longer,  offices  are 
created  or  obtained  for  them.     Hence  Government  employ- 
ment IS  scarcely  better  than  a  "free  coup"  for  this  class  of 
rubbish.    The  factious  political  disturbances  which  have  dis- 
graced Korea  for  many  years  have  not  been  conflicts  of  prin- 
ciple at  all,  but  fights  for  the  Government  position  which  gives 
Its  holder  the  disposal  of  offices  and  money.     The  suspicious- 
ness which  prevents  high  officials  from  working  together  is  also 
partly  due  to  the  desire  of  every  Minister  to  get  more  influence 
with  the  King  than  his  colleagues,  and  so  secure  more  appoint- 
ments for  his  relations  and  friends.     The  author  of  the  Korean 
Dictionary  states  that  the  word  for  work  in  Korean  is  synony- 
mous with  "loss,"  "evil,"  "misfortune,"  and  the  man  who 
leads  an  idle  life  proves  his  right  to  a  place  among  the  gentry. 
The  strongest  claim  for  office  which  an  official  puts  forward  for 
a  prof^gi  IS  that  he  cannot  make  a  living.     Such  persons  when 
appointed  do  little,  and  often  nothing,  except  draw  their  sal- 
aries  and  "  squeeze  "  where  they  can  ! 

I  have  repeated  almost  ad  nauseam  that  the  cultivator  of  the 
soil  IS  the  uUimaf,  sponge.  The  farmers  work  harder  than 
any  other  class,  and  could  easily  double  the  production  of  the 
land,  their  methods,  though  somewhat  primitive,  being  fairly 
well  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate.  But  having  no  security 
for  their  gains,  they  are  content  to  produce  only  what  will  feed 
and  clothe  their  families,  and  are  afraid  to  build  better  houses 


I 


i 


I) 


448  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

wh!>°  hir  '''^''''^\  '^.'^^'•^  "«  innumerable  peasant  farmers 

y    r  owLT.r  '''"""^  '""  '"''''  °f  -'^"-  year  by 
year,  owing  to  the  exactions  and  forced  loans  of  magistrates 

fo  n"""^  T'  '"^  "'°  "°"  °"'>'  ^^'^^  -'-^  -»  enable  hem 
to  procure  three  meals  a  day.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  clasL^ 
whose  manifest  destiny  is  to  be  squeezed,  should  have  su„k 
lIsTssnl^  ''-'  '-'-'  ''  ^"^^^--'  ^-^a,  apath^aL' 
In  spite  of  reforms,  the  Ko;ean  nation  still  consists  of  but 
t^dges,  theRobbers  an^he  Robbed,-the  official  claL 
recruited  from  the  ^'a^^-^a^TTthniESd   vampires  of  the 

Out  of  such  unpromising  materials  tlie  new  nation  has  to  be 
constructed,  by  education,  by  protecting  ,l,eprodudng  cla^ 

worLcl;;!"""""""'  "*"'■  '■■'■  'y  W'-^o^for 

capable  foreign  supervision,  is  shown  by  what  has  been  ar 
comp^h^  in  the  Treasury  Department  in'one   et     nX 

tTr,     /  T  '"/."'°"  """"'  ^"^  ^°""P'  'condition,  and 
rte  ra,n,ficat,ons  of  its  corruption  were  spread  all  througL^he 

^epted  the  thankless  position  of  Financial  Adviser,  from  his 
known  force  of  character  and  remarkable  financial  clritv 

Althoogh  hi,  efforts  at  financial  reform  have  been  thwarted 
a.  every  turn,  no,  alone  by  the  rapacity  of  the  King's  me 

colrolr'"^'  "'  ■"'  ■"'"""'«=  '"""■•"«  -0  -f,  of 
hTmlf  1'  r  °  '"'"•  "■=  ^""'^''S"  •»  actions  concern, 
.ng  money  wh.ch  are  subvenrive  of  the  fairest  schemes  of 
fi»anc,al  r^tuude,  but  by  chicane,  fraud,  and  corrupti™  I 


i 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


449 


every  department ;  by  the  absence  of  trustworthy  subordi- 
nates; by  infamous  traditional  customs;  and  the  fact  that 
f  ery  man  in  office,  and  every  man  hoping  for  office,  is 
pledged  by  his  personal  interest  to  oppose  every  effort  at  re- 
form actively  or  passively,  Korean  finance  stands  thus  at  the 
close  of  1897. 

In  a  few  months  the  Augean  stable  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment in  Seoul  has  been  cleansed ;  the  accounts  are  kept  on  a 
uniform  system,  and  with  the  utmost  exactitude ;  "value  re- 
ceived" precedes  payments  for  work;  an  army  of  drones, 
hanging  on  to  all  departments  and  subsisting  on  public  money, 
has  been  disbanded ;  a  partial  estimate  has  been  formed  of 
the  revenue  which  the  Provinces  ought  to  produce ;  superflu- 
ous officials  unworthily  appointed  find  that  their  salaries  are 
not  forthcoming;  every  man  entitled  to  receive  payment  is 
paid  at  the  end  of  every  month;  nothing  is  in  arrears;  great 
public  improvements  are  carried  out  with  a  careful  supervision 
which  ensures  rigid  economy ;  the  accounts  of  every  Depart- 
ment undergo  strict  scrutiny ;  no  detail  is  thought  unworthy 
of  attention,  and  instead  of  Korea  being  bankrupt,  as  both  her 
friends  and  enemies  supposed  she  would  be  in  July,  1896,  she 
closed  the  financial  year  in  April,  1897,  with  every  account 
paid  and  a  million  and  a  half  in  the~Treasury.  out  of  which 
she  has  repaid  one  million  of  the  Tapanese  loan  of  three  mil- 
lions. If  foreign  advisers  of  similar  calibre  and  capacity  were 
attached  to  all  the  departments  of  State  similar  results  might 
in  time  be  obtained. 

One  thing  is  certain,  that  the  war  and  the  period  of  the  en- 
ergetic ascendency  of  Japan  have  given  Korea  so  rude  a  shake, 
and  have  so  thoroughly  discredited  various  customs  and  insti- 
tutions previously  venerated  for  their  antiquity,  that  no  retro- 
grade movements,  such  as  have  been  to  some  extent  in  progress 
in  1897,  can  replace  her  in  the  old  grooves. 

Seoul  is  Korea  for  most  practical  purposes,  and  the  working 
of  the  Western  leaven,  the  new  impulses  and  modes  of  thought 


450 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


introduced  by  Western  education,  the  inevitable  contact  with 
foreigners,  and  the  influence  of  a  free  Press  are  through  Seoul 
slowly  affecting  the  nation.  Under  the  shadow  of  Chinese 
suzerainty  the  Korean  yang-ban  enjoyed  practically  unlimited 
opportunities  for  the  extortions  and  tyrannies  which  were  the 
atmosphere  of  patrician  life.  Japan  introduced  a  new  theory 
on  this  subject,  and  practically  gave  the  masses  to  understand 
that  they  possess  rights  which  the  classes  are  bound  to  respect, 
and  the  Press  takes  the  same  line. 

It  is  slowly  dawning  upon  the  Korean  peasant  farmer 
through  the  medium  i»f  Japanese  and  Western  teaching,  that 
to  be  an  ultiaiate  spoi>B;e  is  not  his  inevitable  destiny,  that  he 
is  entitled  to  civil  rights,  equality  before  the  eye  of  the  law, 
and  protection  for  his  earnings. 

The  more  important  of  the  changes  during  the  last  three 
years  which  are  beneficial  to  Korea  may  be  summarized  thus  : 
The  connection  with  China  is  at  anend,  and  with  the  victories 
of  Japan  the  Korean  belief  in  the  unconquerable    military 
power  of  the  Middle  Kingdom  has  been  exploded,  and  the 
alliance  between  two  political  systems  essentially  corrupt  has 
been  severed.     The  distinction  between  patrician  and  plebeian 
has  been  abolished,  on  papeTTtJeast,  along  witlTiaomestic 
slavery,  and  the  disabilities  which  renderedlhe  sons  of  concu- 
bines ineligible  for  high~5mce.     Brutd  punishments  £"^dlor- 
ture  are  done  away  with,  a  convenient  coinage  has  replaced 
i^'  ap  improved  educational  system   has  been  launched^  a 
disciplined  army  and  police  force  has  been  created,  the  Chi- 
nese  literary  examinations  are  no  longer  the  test  of  fitness  for 
official  employment,  a  small  measure  of  juHir.ini  reform  has 
been  granted,  a  railroad  from  Chemulpo  to  the  capital  is  beinp 
rapidly  pushed  to  completion,  the  pressure  of  the  Trades  Guilds 
is  relaxed,  a  postal  system  efficiently  worked  and  comrnanding 
confidence  has  been  introduced   into  all  the  Provinces,  the 
financesof  the  country  are  being  placed  on  a  sound  basis,  the 
change  from  a  land-tax  paid  in  kind  to  one  which  is  an  asseM^ 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


45 » 


ment  in 


money  on  the  value  of  the  land  greatly  diminishes 

the^portumtieyorj)fl^^  squeezing,"  and  large  and  judi- 
<Uousj;etrenchinent^  carrJenout  in  most  of  the  met- 

];o2olitan  and  provincial  departmenjs. 

Nevertheless,  the  Government  Gazette  of  the  12th  of  Au- 
gust, 1897,  contains  the  following  Royal  Edicts :— 


We  have  been  looking  into  the  condition  of  the  country.  We  have  re- 
alized the  imminent  danger  which  threatens  the  maintenance  of  the  na- 
tion. But  the  people  of  both  high  and  low  classes  do  not  seem  to  mind 
the  coming  calamity  and  act  indifferently.  Under  the  circumstances  the 
country  cannot  prospei*  We  are  depending  upon  Our  Ministers  for  their 
advice  and  help,  but  they  do  not  respond  to  our  trust.  How  are  we  going 
to  bring  the  nation  out  of  its  chaotic  condition  ?  We  desire  them  to  pause 
and  to  think  that  they  cannot  enjoy  their  homes  unless  the  integrity  of  the 
nation  is  preserved.  We  confess  that  We  have  not  performed  our  part 
properly,  but  Our  Ministers  and  other  officials  ought  to  have  advised  Us 
to  refrain  from  wrongdoing  as  their  ancestors  had  done  to  Our  fore- 
fathers. We  will  endeavor  to  do  what  is  right  and  proper  for  our  country 
hereafter,  and  We  trust  Our  subjects  will  renew  their  loyalty  and  patriot- 
ism in  helping  Us  to  carry  out  Our  aim.  Our  hope  is  that  every  citizen 
in  the  land  will  consider  the  country's  interest  first  before  thinking  of  his 
private  affairs.  Let  Us  all  join  Our  hearts  to  preserve  the  integrity  of 
Our  country. 

II 

The  welfare  of  Our  people  is  our  constant  thought.  We  realize  that 
since  last  year's  disturbance  Our  people  have  been  suffering  greatly  on 
account  of  lack  of  peace  and  order.  The  dead  suffers  as  much  as  the 
living,  but  the  Government  has  not  done  anything  to  ameliorate  the  ex- 
isting condition.  This  thought  makes  Us  worry  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
affluence  by  which  We  are  surrounded  is  rather  uncomfortable.  If  this 
fact  is  known  to  Our  provincial  officials  they  will  do  their  best  to  amelio- 
rate the  condition  of  the  people.  Compulsory  collection  of  unjust  taxes 
and  thousands  of  lawless  officials  and  Government  agents  rob  the  helpless 
masses  upon  one  pretence  or  another.  Why  do  they  treat  Our  people  so 
cruelly  ?  We  hereby  order  the  provincial  officials  to  look  into  the  various 
items  of  Ulegal  texes  now  being  collected,  and  abolish  them  all  without 


452 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


reservation      Whoever  does  not  heed  this  edict  will  be  punished  accord- 
ing to  the  law,' 

Though  the  Koreans  of  to-day  are  the  product  of  centuries 
of  disadvantages,  yet  after  nearly  a  year  spent  in  the  country 
during  which  I  made  its  people  my  chief  study,  I  am  by  no 
means  hopeless  of  their  future,  in  spite  of  the  distinctly  retro- 
grade movements  of  1897.  Two  things,  however,  are  es- 
sential. 

j  I.  As  Korea  is  incapable  of  reforming  herself  from  within, 
jthat  she  must  be  reformed  from  without. 

II.  That  the  power  of  the  Sovereign  must  be  placed  under 
I  stringent  and  permanent  constitutional  checks. 

Hitherto  I  have  written  exclusively  on  Korean  internal 
affairs,  her  actual  condition,  and  the  prospects  of  the  social 
and  commercial  advancement  of  the  people.  I  conclude 
with  a  few  remarks  on  the  political  possibilities  of  the 
Korean  future,  and  the  relations  of  Korea  with  certain  other 
powers. 

The  geographical  position  of  Korea,  with  a  frontier  con- 
terminous with  those  of  China  and  Russia,  and  divided  from 
Japan  by  only  a  narrow  sea,  has  done  much  to  determine  her 
political  relationships.  The  ascendency  of  China  grew  nat- 
urally out  of  territorial  connection,  and  its  duration  for  many 
centuries  was  at  once  the  cause  and  effect  of  a  community  in 
philosophy,  customs,  and  to  a  great  extent  in  lan-uage  and  re- 
ligion. But  Chinese  sontroUs  at  an  ejnd,  and  China  can 
scarcely  be  regarded  as  a. factor  in  the  Korean  sif^i{.fiftp 

Japan  having  skilfully  asserted  her  claim  to  an  equality  of 
rights  m  Korea,  after  several  diplomatic  triumphs  and  marked 
success  in  obtaining  fiscal  and  commercial  ascendency,  even- 
tually, by  the  overthrow  of  her  rival  in  the  late  war,  secured 
political  ascendency  likewise;  and  the  long  strife  between  the 
-The  good  intentions  of  the  Korean  Sovereign,  as  well  as  the  weakness 
which  renders  them  ineflTective,  are  typically  illustrated  in  these  two  pa- 
thetic  documents,  '^ 


\ 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


453 


two  empires,  of  which  Korea  had  been  the  unhappy  stage, 
came  to  an  end. 

The  nominal  reason  for  the  war,  to  which  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment has  been  careful  to  adhere,  was  the  absolute  necessity 
for  the  reform  of  the  internal  administration  of  a  State  too  near 
the  shores  of  Japan  to  be  suffered  to  sink  annually  deeper  into 
an  abyss  of  misgovernment  and  ruin.     It  is  needless  to  specu- 
late upon  the  ultimate  object  which  Japan  had  in  view  in 
undertaking  this  unusual  task.     It  is  enough  to  say  that  she 
entered  upon  it  with  great  energy ;  and  that,  while  the  sug- 
gestions she  enforced  introduced  a  new  rigime,  struck  at  the 
heart  of  privilege  and  prerogative,  revolutionized  social  order, 
and  reduced  the  Sovereign  to  the  position  of  a  "salaried 
automaton,"  the  remarkable  ability  with  which  her  demands 
were  formulated  gave  them  the  appearance  of  simple  and 
natural  administrative  reforms. 

I  believe  that  Japan  was  thoroughly  honest  in  her  efforts; 
and  though  she  lacked  experience,  and  was  ofttimes  rough  and 
tactless,  and  aroused  hostile  feeling  needlessly,  that  she  had  no 
intention  to  subjugate,  but  rather  to  play  the  role  of  the  pro- 
tector of  Korea  and  the  guarantor  of  her  independence. 

For  more  than  a  year,  in  spite  of  certain  mistakes,  she  madev 
fair  headway,  accomplished  some  useful  and  important  reforms,  ] 
and  initiated  others  ;  and  it  is  only  just  to  her  to  repeat  that  \ 
those  which  are  now  being  carried  out  are  on  the  lines  which 
she  laid  down.     Then  came  Viscount  Miura's  savage  m^ip^ 
which  discredited  Japan  and  her  diplomacy  in  the  eves  ofthe 
civilized  world.     This  was  followed  by  the  withdrawal  of  her 
garrisons,  and  of  her  numerous  advisers,  controllers,  anddrill 
instructors,  and  the  substitution  of  an  aonarentlv  laisTez-fairn 
policy  for  an  active  dictatorship.     I  write  "apparently,"  be- 
cause it  cannot  for  a  moment  be  supposed  tliat  this  sagacious 
and  ambitious  Empire  recognized   the  unfortunate  circum- 
stances  in  Korea  as  a  finaHty.  and  retired  in  despair  I 

The  landing  of  Japanese  armies  in  Korea,  and  the  subse- 


4i:4 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


quent  declaration  of  war  with  China,  while  they  gave  the 
world  the  shock  of  a  surprise,  were,  as  I  endeavored  to  point 
out  briefly  in  chapter  xiii.,  neither  the  result  of  a  sudden  im- 
pulse, nor  of  the  shakiness  of  a  Ministry  which  had  to  choose 
between  its  own  downfall  and  a  foreign  war.  The  latter  view 
could  only  occur  to  the  most  superficial  student  of  Far  Eastern 
history  and  politics. 

Japan  for  several  centuries  has  regarded  herself  as  possessing 
vested  rights  to  commercial  ascendency  in  Korea.  The  harvest 
of  the  Korean  seas  has  been  reaped  by  her  fishermen,  and  for 
300  years  her  colonies  have  sustained  a  more  or  less  prosperous 
existence  at  Fusan.  Her  resentment  of  the  pretensions  of 
China  in  Korea,  though  debarred  for  a  considerable  time  from 
active  exercise,  first  by  the  policy  of  seclusion  pursued  by  the 
Tokugawa  House,  and  next  by  the  necessity  of  consolidating 
her  own  internal  polity  after  the  restoration,  has  never  slum- 
bered. 

To  deprive  China  of  a  suzerainty  which,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted, was  not  exercised  for  the  advantage  of  Korea;  to  con- 
solidate  her  own  commercial  supremacy ;  to  ensure  for  herself 
free  access  and  special  privileges;  to  establish  a  virtual  pro- 
tectorate  under  which  no  foreign  dictation  would  be  tolerated; 
to  reform  Korea  on  Japanese  lines,  and  to  substitute  her  own 
liberal  and  enlightened  civilization  for  the  antique  Oriental 
conservatism  of  the  Peninsula,  are  aims  which  have  been  kept 
steadily  m  view  for  forty  years,  replacing  in  part  the  designs 
which  had  existed  for  several  previous  centuries. 

In  order  to  judge  correctly  of  the  action  or  inaction  of 
Japan  during  1896  and  1897,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  not 
only  that  her  diplomacy  is  secret  and  reticent,  but  that  it  is 
steady;  that  it  has  not  hitherto  been  affected  by  any  great 
political  cataclysms  at  home;  that  it  has  less  of  opportunism 
than  that  of  almost  any  other  nation,  and  that  the  Japanese 
have  as  much  tenacity  and  fixity  of  purpose  as  any  other  race 
Also,  Japanese  policy  in  Korea  is  still  shaped  by  the  same  re- 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


w 


i 


markable  statesmen,  who  from  the  day  that  Japan  emerged 
upon  the  international  arena  have  been  recognized  by  the 
people  as  their  natural  leaders,  and  wlio  have  guided  the 
country  through  the  manifold  complications  which  beset  the 
path  of  her  enlightened  progress  with  a  celerity  and  freedom 
from  disaster  which  have  compelled  the  admiration  of  the 
world. 

The  assassination  of  the  Korean  Queen  under  the  auspices 
of  Viscount  Miura,  and  the  universal  horror  excited  by  the 
act,  rendered  it  politic  for  Japan  to  keep  out  of  sight  till  the 
storm  which  threatened  to  wreck  her  prestige  in  Korea  had 
blown  over.  This  temporary  retirement  was  arranged  with 
consummate  skill.  There  were  no  violent  dislocations.  The 
garrisons  which  were  to  be  withdrawn  quietly  slipped  away, 
and  were  replaced  by  guards  only  sufficient  for  the  protection 
of  the  Japanese  Legation,  the  Japanese  telegraph,  and  other 
property.  The  greater  number  of  the  Japanese  in  Korean 
Covernn^  Mit  employment  fell  naturally  out  <  it  as  their  con- 
trarts  expued,  and  quietly  retired  from  the  country.  Minis- 
ters of  experience,  proved  ability,  and  courtesy  of  demeanor, 
have  succeeded  to  the  post  once  occupied  by  Mr.  Otori  and 
Viscount  Miura.  There  has  been  scarcely  any  recent  inter- 
ference with  Korean  affairs,  and  the  Japanese  colonists  who 
were  much  given  to  bullying  and  blustering  are  on  greatly  im- 
proved behavior,  the  most  ol)jectionable  among  them  having 
been  recalled  by  orders  from  home.  Diplomatically,  Japan 
has  carefully  avoided  friction  with  the  Korean  Government 
and  the  representatives  of  the  other  Powers.  But  to  infer 
from  this  that  she  has  abandoned  her  claims,  or  has  swerved 
from  her  determination  to  make  her  patronage  essential  to  the 
well-being  of  Korea  would  be  a  grave  mistake. 

It  has  been  said  that  whatever  Japan  lost  in  Korea  Russia 
gained.  It  is  true  that  the  King  in  his  terror  and  apprehen- 
sion threw  himself  upon  the  protection  of  the  Russian  Minis- 
ter, and  remained  for  more  than  a  year  under  the  shelter  of 


456 


Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 


the  Russian  flag,  and  that  at  his  request  a  Russian  Military 
Commission  arrived  to  reorganize  and  drill  the  Korean  army, 
that  Russia  presented  3,000  Berdan  rifles  to  Korea,  that  a 
Russian  financier  spent  the  autumn  of  1896  in  Seoul  investi- 
gating the  financial  resources  and  prospects  of  the  country, 
and  that  the  King,  warned  by  disastrous  experiences  of  be- 
trayal, prefers  to  trust  his  personal  safety  to  his  proximity  to 
the  Russian  military  quarters. 

But  "Russian  Ascendency,"  in  the  sense  of  "  ControV  in 
which  Japanese  ascendency  is  to  be  understood,  has  never 
existed.     The  Russian  Minister  used  the  undoubtedly  influ- 
ential position  which  circumstances  gave  him  with  unexampled 
moderation,  and  only  brought  his  influence  to  bear  on  the  King 
in  cases  of  grave  misrule.     The  influence  of  Russia,  however, 
grew  quietly  and  naturally,  with  little  of  external  manifes- 
tation, up  to  March,  1897,  when  the  publication  of  a  treaty, 
concluded  ten  months  before  between  Russia  and  Japan,» 
caused  something  of  a  revulsion  of  feeling  in  favor  of  the  lat- 
ter country,  and  Russia  has  been  slowly  losing  ground.     Her 
policy  is  too  pacific  to  allow  of  a  quarrel  with  Japan,  and  a 
quarrel  would  be  the  inevitable  result  of  any  present  attempt 
at  dictatorship  in  Korea.     So  far,  she  has  pursued  a  strictly 
opportunist  policy,  taking  no  steps  except  those  which  have 
been   forced  upon  her;  and  even  if  the  Korean  pear  were 
ready  to  drop  into  her  mouth,  I  greatly  doubt  if  she  would 
shake  the  tree. 

At  all  events,  Russia  let  the  opportunity  of  obtaining  as- 
cendency in  Korea  go  by.  It  is  very  likely  that  she  never  de- 
sired it.  It  may  be  quite  incompatible  with  other  aims,  at 
which  we  can  only  guess.  At  the  same  time,  the  influence  of 
Japan  is  quietly  and  steadily  increasing.  Certainly  the  great 
object  of  the  triple  intervention  in  the  treaty  negotiations  in 
Shimonoseki  was  to  prevent  Japan  from  gaining  a  foothold  on 
the  mainland  of  the  Asiatic  Continent;  but  it  does  not  seem 
'  See  Appendix  E. 


%  ' 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


457 


at 


altogether  impossible  that,  by  playing  a  waiting  game  and 
profiting  by  previous  mistakes,  she,  without  assuming  a  formal 
protectorate,  may  be  able  to  add,  for  all  practical  purposes  of 
commerce  and  emigration,  a  mainland  province  to  her  Em- 
pire. Forecasts  are  dangerous  things.'  but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  If  Russia,  not  content  with  such  quiet,  military  develop- 
ments as  may  be  in  prospect,  were  to  manifest  any  aggressive 
designs  on  Korea,  Japan  is  powerful  enough  to  put  a  brake  on 
the  wheel !  Korea,  however,  is  incapable  of  standing  alone, 
and  unless  so  difficult  a  matter  as  a  joint  protectorate  could  be 
arranged,  she  must  be  under  the  tutelage  of  either  Japan  or 
Russia.  ''  '^ 

If  Russia  were  to  acquire  an  actual  supremacy,  the  usual 
result  would  follow.     Preferential  duties  and  other  imposts 
would  practically  make  an  end  of  British  trade  in  Korea  with 
all  Its  large  potentialities.     The  effacement  of  British  political 
influence  has  been  effected  chiefly  by  a  policy  of  laissez-faire, 
which  has  produced  on  the  Korean  mind  the  double  impres- 
sion of  indifference  and  feebleness,  to  which  the  dubious  and 
hazy  diplomatic   relationship  naturally  contributes.     If  Eng- 
land  has  no  contingent  interest  in  the  political  future  of  a 
country  rich  in  undeveloped  resources  and  valuable  harbors 
and  whose  possession  by  a  hostile  Power  might  be  a  serious 
peril  to  her  interests  in  the  Far  East,  her  policy  during  the 
last  few  years  has  been  a  sure  method  of  evidencing  her  un- 
concern. 

Though  we  may  have  abandoned  any  political  interest  in 
Korea,  the  future  of  British  trade  in  the  country  remains  an 
important  question.  Such  influence  as  England  possesses, 
being  exercised  through  a  non-official  channel,  and  therefore 
necessarily  indirect,  is  owing  to  the  abilities,  force,  and  diplo- 
matic tact  of  Mr.  MTeavy  Brown,  the  Chief  Commissioner 

'  As  ..  it  is  the  unexpected  which  happens,"  it  would  not  be  surprisine 
If  certain  moves,  ostensibly  with  the  object  of  placing  the  independence  of 
Korea  on  a  firm  basis,  were  made  even  before  these  volumes  are  published. 


[i 


458  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors 

of  Customs,  formerly  of  H.B.M.'s  Chinese  Consular  Service 
bo  long  as  he  is  in  control  at  the  capital,  and  such  upright  and 
able  men  as  Mr.  Hunt,  Mr.  Oiesen,  and  Mr.  Osborne  are 
Commissioners  at  the  treaty  ports  (Appendix  D).  so  long  will 
l^ngland  be  commercially  important  in  Korean  estimation. 

The  Customs  revenue,  always  increasing,  and  collected  at  a 
cost  of  10  per  cent,  only,  is  the  backbone  of  Korean  finance : 
and  everywhere  the  ability  and  integrity  of  the  administration 
give  the  Commissioners  an  influence  which  is  necessarily  in 
favor  of  England,  and  which  produces  an  impression  even  on 
corrupt  Korean  officialism.     That  this  service  should  remain  in 
our  hands  is  of  the  utmost  practical  importance.     In  the  days 
of  Japanese  ascendency  there  was  a  great  desire  to  upset  the 
present  arrangement,  but  it  was  frustrated  by  the  tact  and 
firmness  of  the  Chief  Commissioner.     The  next  danger  is  that 
Jt  should  pass  into  Russian  hands,  which  would  be  a  severe 
blow  to  our  prestige  and  interests.     Some  of  the  leading  Rus- 
sian  papers  are  agitating  this  question,  and  the  Novate  Vremia 
of  9th  September,   1897,  in  writing  of  the  opening  of  the 
ports  of  Mok-po  and  Chi-nam-po  to  foreign  trade,  says-— 
'•  These  encroachments  are  chiefly  due  to  the  cleverness  of  the 
British  officials  who  are  at  the  head  of  the  Financial  and  Cus- 
toms Departments  of  the  Korean  administration."    It  adds 
''  If  Russia  tolerates  any  further  increase  in  this  policy 
Great  Britain  will  convert  the  country  into  one  of  her  best 
markets."    The  Novate  Vremia  goes  on  to  urge  "  the  Russian 
Government  to  exercise,  before  it  is  too  late,  a  more  searching 
surveillance  than  at  present,  to  take  steps  to  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  British  officials  in  tht  Korean  Government  (the  Cus- 
toms), and  to  compel  Japan  to  withdraw  what  are  practically 
the  military  garrisons  which  she  has  established  in  Korea." 

Such,  in  brief  outline,  is  the  position  of  political  affairs  in 
Korea  at  the  close  of  1897.  Her  long  and  close  political  con- 
nection with  China  is  severed ;  she  has  received  from  Japan 
a  gift  of  independence  which  she  knows  not  how  to  use- 


■ 
■J 


Last  Words  on  Korea 


459 


England,  for  reasons  v/hich  may  be  guessed  at,  has  withdrawn 
from  any  active  participation  in  her  affairs ;  the  other  Euro- 
pean Powers  have  no  interests  to  safeguard  in  that  quarter ; 
and  her  integrity  and  independence  are  at  the  mercy  of  the 
most  patient  and  the  most  ambitious  of  Empires,  whose  inter- 
ests in  the  Far  East  are  conflicting,  if  not  hostile. 

It  is  with  great  regret  that  I  take  leave  of  Korea,  with  Rus- 
sia and  Japan  facing  ^ach  other  across  her  destinies.  The  dis- 
taste I  felt  for  the  country  at  first  passed  into  an  interest  which 
is  almost  affection,  and  on  no  previous  journey  have  I  made 
dearer  and  kinder  friends,  or  those  from  whom  I  parted  more 
regretfully.  I  saw  the  last  of  Seoul  in  snow  in  the  blue  and 
violet  atmosphere  of  one  of  the  loveliest  of  her  winter  morn- 
ings, and  the  following  day  left  Chemulpo  in  a  north  wind  of 
merciless  severity  in  the  little  Government  steamer  Hyenik  for 
Shanghai,  where  the  quaint  Korean  flag  excited  much  interest 
and  questioning  as  she  steamed  slowly  up  the  river. 


Bfl, 


\<i.  I 


i 


APPENDIXES 


APPENDJX 


MISSION  STATISTICS 


<]• 


I'  : 


Name  or  Mission. 


American  Presbyter* 
ian  Mission  (North) 

American  Presbyter 
ian  Mission  (Soath) 

Australian  Presbyter 
ian  Mission 

Y.M.C.A.  Mission  of 
Canada    .        .        , 

American  Metb.  Epis, 
Mission  (North)     . 

American  Meth.  Epis. 
Mission  (South)     . 

Ella  ThiuK  Memorial 
Mission  (Baptist)    . 

Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel 

Soci^t^  des  Missions- 
Etrangdres    . 


♦  Besides  much  in  labor  and  in  contributions  for  support  of  native  evangelists, 

462 


?  / 


APPENDIX 
!f  STATISTICS 


A. 


FOR  KOREA,  1896. 


a, 
£ 

« 

S 

a 


510 


o 


OS 


» 


5' 


S 


10 


2      266 


515  28,802 


e  evangelists, 


512 


783 


139 


E 


21 


121 


o      o 


3  O 
dA 


E 


50 


204       2 


110 


I'EIL 


35 


50 


271 


13 
2 
1 

10 


S 


iz; 


24    3 


16 


3   339 


V 


M 

a 

■c 
a 

« 


a 
e 
IS 


S 
iz; 


20,295  $796.44* 
2,000 


116 


795 


7,778    1647.37 


3    29,786 


$.60 


schools,  and  the  enlargement  and  constraction  of  Cbarch  edifices. 

463 


/. 


4^4  . 

Appendix  B 

APPENDIX  B  ^ 

««-T  Fo«™„  :^„,  ^^ 
('•<f.  net  value  of  f  '006-96 

type,  vessels  into  thTr  ^°°'''  ''"P^^^^^  in  forei^„  ,   ,     . 

by  the  foreign  Qui    ^'""'^  ^°^'«'  and  taken.o        ^°''''^"- 
Ported  anH       ^"'^^'"s ;   and  of  natjJ       .  ^"'^""^e  of 

»:'  "-"^^^^^  ^--  ^'^e  srCts'r'r^^- 

r— — ___  "  t°  foreign 


I  Vear.  1    ""uas  {t^  exclfiV" 


1886 

1887 

1888 

1889 

1890 

1891 

1892 

1893 

1894 

1895 

1896 


Total. 


*2, 474, 185 
2,815,441 
3.046,443 
3,377,815 
4,727,839 
5,266,468 
4,598,485 
3.880,155 
5,831,563 
8,088,213 
6,531,324 


*    604,225 

804,996 

,  867,058 

1,233,841 

3,550,478 

3,366,344 

2,443,739 

2,311,215 

2,481,808 
4,728,700 


i'2.978,410  I 
3,620,437 
3,913,601  ' 
4,611,6,56 
8,278  317 , 
8,622,812 
7,042,224 
5,578,271 
8,142,778  1 
10,570,021  ' 
11,260,024  J 


^0"ld  imp,       ^^]^ll^  «o  great  as  the  above  ^'Z      1""'°  '^^^  «nd 
'■°reign  vessels  aUhe  T     ""^  ^^'''  '"^  '^-^  «de  bv   L  "^     ."'  "P'«"^"°« 
r  '^^i-''  •-twe      n'^r^^r^-onsiclerablX^^^^^         ^^^  ^-^e  i„ 
J^P^n-     This  junk  1.7""^^  ^'^^  '"  Korea  aL  ''"""  '^""ed 

'Je  period  the'  ^L  "o;  It  ^ '^'^^^  -""chwyrln  7'  'I  ^"'"^  ^^ 

from  native  craft  t^''  ''  ^^^'^  '^"^  ««  the  in"'        ''"''  ^^^^^^opn^ent 

-.  and  .s:t;---^pe  vesse.  ^..1^;::"  ^ -«c 

*^      and  re^ported  to 


Appendix   B 


886-96 

'gn.  or  foreign- 
cognizance  of 
'  similarly  ex- 
ts  to  foreign 


1^2.978,410  I 
3.620,437 
3,913,501 
4,611.6.56  I 
8,278  317 
8.622,812 
J.042,224 
5,578,271 
8,142,778 
'0,670,021 
1,260,024  - 

1886  and 
xplanation 
e  trade  in 
en  carried 
-hina  and 
•■  years  of 
elopment 
of  traffic 
'rity  and 


ported  to 


465 


Comparative  Table  of  the  net  Dues  and  Duties  Collected 
AT  THE  Three  Ports  for  the  Years  1884-96 


Year. 

Import  Duties. 

• 

Export  Duties. 

Tonnage  Dues. 

Total. 

1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 

$79,373.71 
119,364.41 
132,757.12 
203,271.68 
219,759.81 
213,457.49 
327,460.11 
372,022.07 
308,954.13 
262,679  28 
357,828.34 
601,588.06 
448,137.16 

$19,234.74 

19,602.22 

24,812.11 

40,384.52 

43,330.62 

61,8;».23 

178,552.14 

168,096.36 

123,212.24 

85,720.22 

115,779.33 

124,261.22 

226,342.45 

$3,478.19 
2,996.90 
2,708.75 
3,045.12 
4, 124.55 
4,707.04 
8,587.90 
8,940.26 
6,247.05 
5,717.16 
7,398  64 
15,448.20 
17,304.75 

$102,086.64 
141,963  53 
160,277.98 
246,701  32 
267.214.98 
279,999.76 
514,600  15 
549,0.J8.G9 
438,41342 
354,116.06 
481,006.31 
741,297.48 
691,784.36 

CoMPARAvivE  Statement  of  the  Japanese  and  non- Japanese  Cotton 
Goods  Imported  into  Korea  during  the  Year  1896 


Description.! 


Shirtings — Gray 

Plain 
Shirtings— White 
T-Cloths      . 
Drills 

Turkey-Red  Cloths 
Sheetings    . 
Cotton  Flannel    . 
Cotton  Blankets  . 
Cotton    Yarn    and 

Thread    . 


Cotton  Goods,  Tin- 
classed     . 


Classl' 
flcation 

of 
Quan 
tity. 


Total 


Pieces 

.. 

,. 
,» 
It 
}} 
,. 

Pairs 
Picnls 

Value 

» 

Value 


Japanese. 


Non-Japanese. 


Quantity. 


Value. 


6,715 

31 

1,211 

163 

1,652 

30,184 

762 

1,625 

12,821 


$ 

23,660 

121 

2,719 

634 

3,663 

115,914 

2,870 

3,883 

368,064 


Total. 


521,528 
644,671 


1,166,199 


Quantity. 

Value. 

428,911 
5,445 
1,660 

11,583 
7,519 

14,793 
1,432 

$ 
1,567,967 
21,768 

4,177 
47,998 
17,349 
58,455 

3,927 

1,795 

71,386 

1,793,027 

•379,319 

2,172,346 

Quantity, 


435,626 
5,476 
2,871 

11,746 
9,171 

44,977 
2,194 
1,625 

14,616 


Value. 


I 

1,591,627 

21,889 

6,896 

48,632 

21,012 

174,369 

6,797 

3,883 

439,450 


2,314,555 
1,023,990 


3,338,545 


'  Chiefly  narrow.width  cloth,  gray  or  white,  checked  or  plain.         »  Including  $2,549  Chinese  Cotton*. 


466 


Appendix  C 


APPENDIX  C 


Return  of  Principal  Articles  of  Export  (net)  to  Foreign  Coun- 
tries for  the  Years  1896-95 


Articles. 

Chemulpo. 

Fusan. 

Won-san. 

1896. 

1895. 

1896. 

1895. 

1896. 

1896. 

Beans 

Fish  (dried  manure) 

Cowhides  . 

Ginseng     . 

Paper 

Rice    .... 

Seaweed    . 

Sundries    . 

£48,485 

■8.789 
29,789 

2.326 
92,444 

12.713 

£45,679 

14,036 

675 

1,785 

62,390 

40 

8,992 

£66,731 

4,296 

11,077 

1*,806 

178.862 

6,705 

13,633 

£22,337 

6S9 

37,226 

2,286 

17,646 

3,809 

9,361 

£24,132 
4,894 
4,424 

"24 
649 

2,ioi 

£32,049 

312 

6,162 

"9 

•   ' 

8.590 

Total       .      . 

£194,551 

£138,497 

£282,100 

£98,253 

£35,624 

£42,112 

1896. 

1895. 

Currency. 

Sterling. 

Currency. 

Sterling. 

Total  exports  from  Korea   .   .   . 

$4,728,700 

£612,276 

$2,481,808 

£268,862 

Appendix  C 


)  Foreign  Coun- 


Won-san. 

1896. 

1896. 

£24,132 
4,894 
4,424 

"24 
549 

2,ioi 

£82,049 

312 

6,162 

"9 
8.690 

£35,624 

£42,112 

1895. 


iirrency. 

Sterling. 

2,481,808 

£268,862 

467 


Return  of  Principal  Articles  of  Foreign  Import  (net :  i.e.  ex- 
cluding Re-exports)  to  Open  Ports  of  Korea  during  the  Years 
1896-95. 


Articles. 

Chemulpo. 

Fusan. 

Won-san. 

1896. 

1896. 

1806. 

£51.020 
10,670 

ii'.m 

11,018 

222 

6,363 

1895. 

1896. 

1805. 

Cotton  goods— 
Shirtings 

£10;t.l9« 
6.986 

]2,,'508 

6.7,'«J 

14,015 

27,271 

5.634 

14,394 

£172.549 
11,554 

7.199 

8..591 

20,129 

26,098 

4,876 

29,065 

£.54.911 
8,183 

3,880 
4,'8S6 

£21,982 
1,072 

40 

23 

80,867 

1,690 
1,871 
8,732 

£55,190 
2,066 

4,500 
88,608 

3.483 

4,364 

16,125 

LHwni  and  inusllus 

Sheetings- 
Japanese 

EnglLsIiand  American 

Japanese  piece-goods.... 

Yarn- 
Japanese 

English  and  Indian 

Other  cottons 

Total 

£190,710 

£280,064 

£105,137 

£91,238 

£66,177 

£124,666 

Woolens 

8,266 

4.983 

678 

884 

IfiQ 

Ifetals, 

7,172 

8,620 

15,253 

10,342 

7,690        6,217 

Sundries- 
Dyes  

4,818 

22.358 

4,798 

20,035 

9,.312 

5.717 

8.018 

28.913 

89.417 

10.794 

13,641 

3,675 

9,819 

457 

3.859 

9,6.S9 

65.057 

111,902 

2.363 
8,540 
4,671 

9,560 
4.513 
2,368 
2,972 
8,167 
50,828 

8,084 
1,402 
3,348 

7,479 
478 
2.024 
2.818 
5.606 
38.859 

777 
2.241 
2,018 

6,463 

69 

381 

1,203 

4,068 

26,241 

1,667 
3,154 
1,680 

8,990 
1 

Grass -cloths 

Matches 

Kerosene  oil- 
American 

Russian 

Provisions 

8al{6 

■ '1.176 
12,848 
30,884 

Silk  piece-goods 

Other  articles 

Total 

£188  i'6 

£228,743 

£88,878 

£65,098 

£43,451 

£65,400 

Grand  total 

£382,203 
1,088 

£622,360 
696 

£209,846 

£167,562 

£117,600 

£186,616 
12« 

Less  excess  of  re- 
exports over  Im- 
ports in  some  ar- 
ticles  

Net  total 

£.S81,115      £521,764  ' 

£209.846     £167,562  |  £117,5C"  ' 

"i%  ,:« 

1890. 

1896. 

Currency. 

Sterling. 

Currency. 

Sterling. 

Total  for  Korea 

16,539,630' 

£708,461 

«8,0M,  565' 

£876,816 

■  1  dollar —  2b.  2d. 


468 


Appendix  C 


fi 


'I 


J 


n  I 


8g| 


pig|||i  I 


Appendix  D 


469 


APPENDIX  D 

The  pcj>  T^j;', .»  of  the  three  Korean  treaty  ports  was  as  follows  in  Tan- 
uary,  1897  :— 

-  Chemulpo  Selllement. 

Japanese ^^^ 

Chinese 

British ^ 

German          ••••..,  19 

American ^        ^  » 

French 

Norwegian , 

Greek !        !        .*  3 

Italian ^  . 

Portuguese j 

Total        ....  4,357 

Estimated  native  population           ....  6,756 

_  Fusan  Setllement. 

Japanese ^  jgg 

Chinese 74 

British jq 

American „ 

German          «...  « 

Danish ^  I 

French I 

Italian           I 

Total         ....  5,564 
Estimated  native  population  of  Fusan  City  and  the 

Prefecture  of  Tung-nai  ....    33,000 


\{ 


470 


Appendix  D 


Japanese 

Chinese 

American 

German 

British 

French 

Russian 

Danish 

Norwegian 


Total 
Estimated  native  population 


WSn-san  SeHlement. 
1,399 

8 

3 

2 
2 
2 
I 
I 

»»357 
15,000 


Appendix  E 


471 


APPENDIX  E 

Treaty  between  Japan  and  Rr  si\  with  Reply  of  H.E.  the 
Korean  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs 

MEMORANDUM 

The  Representatives  of  Russia  and  Japan  at  Seoul,  having  conferred 
nnder  ttie  identical  instructions  from  their  respective  Governments,  have 
arrived  at  the  following  conclusions : — 

While  leaving  the  matter  of  His  Majesty's,  the  King  of  Korea,  return 
to  the  Palace  entirely  to  his  own  discretion  and  judgment,  the  Representa- 
tives of  Russia  and  Japan  will  friendly  advise  His  Majesty  to  return  to 
that  place,  when  no  doubts  could  be  entertained  concerning  his  safety. 

The  Japanese  Representative,  on  his  part,  gives  the  assurance,  that  the 
most  complete  and  effective  measures  will  be  taken  for  the  control  of 
Japanese  sosAi. 

The  present  Cabinet  Ministers  have  been  appointed  by  His  Majesty  by 
his  own  free  will,  and  most  of  them  have  held  ministerial  or  other  high 
offices  during  the  last  two  years  and  are  known  to  be  liberal  and  moderate 
men. 

The  two  Representatives  will  always  aim  at  recommending  His  Majesty 
to  appoint  liberal  and  moderate  men  as  Ministers,  and  to  show  clemency 
to  his  subjects. 

The  Representative  of  Russia  quite  agrees  with  the  Representative  of 
Japan  that  at  the  present  state  of  affairs  in  Korea  it  may  be  necessary  to 
have  Japanese  guards  stationed  at  some  places  for  the  protection  of  the 
Japanese  telegraph  line  between  Fusan  and  Seoul,  and  that  these  guards, 
now  consisting  of  three  companies  of  soldiers,  should  be  withdrawn  as 
soon  as 'possible  and  replaced  by  gendarmes,  who  will  be  distributed  as 
follows :  fifty  men  at  Fusan,  fifty  men  at  Kaheung,  and  ten  men  each  at 
ten  intermediate  posts  between  Fusan  and  Seoul. 

This  distribution  may  be  liable  to  some  changes,  but  the  total  number 
of  the  gendar^ne  force  shall  never  exceed  two  hundred  men,  who  will 
afterwards  gradually  be  withdrawn  from  such  places,  where  peace  and 
order  have  been  restored  by  the  Korean  Government. 

For  the  protection  of  the  Japanese  settlements  at  Seoul  and  the  open 
ports  against  possible  attacks  by  the  Korean  populace,  two  companies  of 
Japanese  troops  may  be  stationed  at  Seoul,  one  company  at  Fusan  and 


in 


472 


Appendix  E 


Seoul,  I4/;«  May,  1896. 


tr::p":sr;rtL7nr:^^^^^^^^^^^    ^^^^^^^^  These 

troops  at  those  pCanTwCi^  e^Thd"'  '''  """'"  °'^^''^""^ 
in  the  interior  is  completely  restored  "  ""  '°°"  ''^  '""^^^^'^ 

(Signed)  c.  Waeber, 

Representative  of  Russia. 

J.  KOMURA, 

Representative  of  Japan. 
PROTOCOL 

nary  of  His  U.^.",y,^lt''^ZV^  ""^"T  •'' "'"'""'^^^  ^^^--'J'" 
on  the  situation^or  1^:!^^'^^^^^;:^^^^  ^^- 

^^^Ttl^^^^^^^h^  i  Korea,  the  Governments 

superfluous  expenditurTLd  t "estlK.^^^^^^^  '°  '''^^"'^^  ^" 

revenues.    If.  L  conseouenrVnf     r         !  ''"''"'^'^  ^^*^^^"  "P^"^"  and 

necessary  to  CeTo^ ToltrLt^h  t^^"^^^^^^ "  "^^  ^^ 
mutual  consent  give  their  support  to  Korea  ^°""»™^«'«  ''hall  by 

asT'r%?rra":;tTr'^r^ 

mit.  the  formation  ad  rat  eranTo^'atf  "1°'  *'^^  ^°""'^^  '^•"  P"" 
of  such  proportions  as  wilfbe  suffid  nt  fo  The  ""''  '"  •"  ^"'  P^"'^'^ 
ternal  peace,  without  fceign  sup^Tt  F^ervation  of  the  in- 

III 
wkich  a„  a.  p  Jem?™,  h.r  *  '°  "'™"'*'  "■'  '^'"S-P"  "»- 


Appendix  E 


473 


IV 

In  case  the  above  matters  should  require  a  more  exact  or  detailed  ex- 
planation,  or  if  subsequently  some  other  points  should  present  themselves 
upon  which  it  may  be  necessary  to  confer,  the  Representatives  of  both 
Governments  shall  be  authorized  to  negotiate  in  a  spirit  of  friendship. 

(Signed)        Lobanow. 

Yamagata. 

Moscow,  9//4  June,  1896. 

The  following  is  the  exact  translation  of  the  reply  sent  to  the  Japanese 
Minister  by  the  Korean  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  concerning  the  Russo- 
Japanese  Convention : — 

Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
Mar.  <)tk,  2nd  year  of  Kun-yang  {i%y^). 

Sir— I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  despatch  of 
the  2nd  instant,  informing  me  that,  on  the  14th  day  of  May  last,  a  memo- 
randum was  signed  at  Seoul  by  H.E.  Mr.  Komura,  the  former  Japanese 
Minister  Resident,  and  the  Russian  Minister,  and  that,  on  the  4th  of  June 
of  the  same  year,  an  Agreement  was  signed  at  Moscow,  by  H.E.  Marshal 
Yamagata,  the  Japanese  Ambassador,  and  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs 
of  Russia;  and  that  these  two  documents  have  been  laid  publicly  before 
the  Imperial  Diet,  You  further  inform  me  that  on  the  26th  ultimo  you 
received  a  telegram  from  your  Government,  pointing  out  that  the  above- 
mentioned  Agreement  and  memorandum  in  no  way  reflect  upon,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  are  meant  to  strengthen,  the  independence  of  Korea,— this 
being  the  object  which  the  Governments  of  Japan  and  Ru-  ia  had  in 
view,— and  you  cherish  the  confident  hope  that  my  Governn.er.t  will  not 
fail  to  appreciate  this  intention.  In  accordance  with  telegraphic  instruc- 
tions received  from  the  Imperial  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  you  enclose 
copies  of  the  Agreements  referred  to. 

I  beg  to  express  my  sincere  thanks  for  your  despatch  and  the  informa- 
tion it  conveys.  I  would  observe,  however,  that  as  my  Government  has 
not  joined  in  concluding  these  two  Agreements,  its  freedom  of  action  as 
an  independent  Power  cannot  be  restricted  by  their  provisions.— I  have, 
etc., 

(Signed)  Ye  Wanyono, 

Minister  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

H.E.  Mr.  Kato, 

Minister  of  Japan,  etc. 


\l  I 


/ 


M 


INDEX 


Abbot,  a  refined,  84. 

Absolutism  of  the  Korean  crown 
reitnposed,  377. 

Agricultural  implements,  rude 
and  few,  161. 

Agriculture,  primitive  charac- 
ter of,  78;  improved  method  ^< 
in  the  Han  Valley,  100;  meth- 
ods of,  160  ;  ministry  of,  383. 

Ah  Wong,  31. 

Allen,  Mr.  Clement,  185;   Dr., 

352.  353.  354,  443. 

Altar-piece,  an  unique,  148. 

American  Missions,  22,  63,  172, 
279.  3".  346-350,  388. 

Am-nok  River,  the,  14,  17,  74. 

Amur  Province,  the,  234,  242. 

Amur  River,  the,  219,  220,  233, 
241,  242,  244. 

An-by6ng,  163. 

Ancestral  temple,  an,  87;  wor- 
ship, 61,  63,  88,  401. 

An-chin-Miriok,  345. 

Ang-paks,  77.  125,  157. 

Animal  and  Bird  life,  73,  74, 150. 

An-ju,  328. 

An-"kil  Yung  Pass,  crossing  the, 

330. 
An-mun-chai,  the,  138,  141,  144, 

146. 
An  object  of  curiosity,  88,  94, 

97.  127,  146. 
Appenzeller,  Rev.  H.  G.,  388. 
A-ra-rling  style  of^  nusic,  166. 
Archipelago,  a  remarkable,  15. 
Army,  56,  57,  210  ;  standing,  an 

extravagance,  434. 
A-san,  206;  battle  of,  207. 
Assassination  of  the  Queen,  271, 

455. 


Assembly,  a  national,  373. 
Atai-jo.  king,  169. 
Australian  ladies,  mission  work 
by,  28. 

Baikal  horses,  237, 

Banks  and  Banking,  26. 

"Bann.-nien,"  (irregular  sol- 
diery) of  Manchuria,  190,  191. 

B?  rter,  the  mode  of  exchange,  78. 

Bas-reliefs,  84. 

Beacon  fires,  97,  105. 

Beheading  abolished,  265. 

"Believing  Mind,  Temple  of 
the,"  139. 

Bell  of  Song-do,  295;  of  Seoul, 
the  great  (see  Seoul). 

BirukofI,  Mr.,  388. 

Botany,  Native,  17,  95,  98. 

Bows  and  arrows,  reliance  on 
in  Manchuria,  190. 

Bridges,  infamous  character  of 
the,  1 71  ;  precarious,  293. 

Brigands  of  Manchuria,  189. 

British  political  influence  and 
trade,  457. 

Broughton  Bay,  junk  excursion 

in,  15,  173. 
Brown,  Mr.   M'Leavy,  37,  369, 

397.  435.  448.  457. 

Buddha,  statues  of,  136,  144. 

Buddha  worship,  137. 

Buddhism,  disestablishment  of, 
61;  moribund,  142;  introduc- 
tion of,  148 ;  palmy  days  of 
Korean,  169;  gross  sr-^rsti- 
tions  of,  399;  relics  of  Korean, 
286. 

Buddhist  hells,  representations 
of,  139;  nunneries,  115,  135. 


475 


if 


476 


Index 


Buddhistic  legends,  145. 
Buddhist   monastery   and    i->m. 

pie,  63,  76,  79.  84,  ,319- 
Uull,    Korean,    as    e.     beast    of 

burden,    36,    tio;     .sed    for 

ploujvhsrg,  162, 
Burial    customs,    63,   304,   7R6, 

Burial  place,,  36,  61. 
Hutchers,  methods  of,  172. 

Cabinet,  the,  371,374.375;  min- 

isterF,  execution  of,  367. 
Campijdl,  Mr..  133, 135, 138,  826. 
tar.eb,  Consul.  130,  329,  355. 
v-av,-ilry,  Chinese,  General  Tso's 
^  f  rigade,  210. 
Cave,  a  remarkable,  99. 
Cham-su-ki.  95,  96;  tree,  96. 
Chang-an  Sa,  137,  141,  142,  143, 

144.  150,  160. 
Charms,  408. 
Cha-san,  322,  344. 
Che-chan,  106. 
Chefoo,  arrival  at,  185;  return 

to,  213, 
Chemulpo,  20,  30,  33  ;  war  ex- 
citement  at,   178  ;  exodus  of 
Chinese  from,  182  ;  return  of 
authoress  to,  245;  accident  on 
the  way  to,   267;  arrival  at, 
357;  railroad  from  to  the  cap- 
ital,   450;    leave    from,    459; 
banks  at,   32,  436;   cemetery 
at,    318;    Chinese    settlement 
»n,  31,   245;  Japanese  settle- 
ment in,  31,  181,  246;  Korean 
quarter,  33;  occupation  of,  by 
Japanese,  206, 245;  population 
of,  469,  trade  in,  33. 
Children,  non-burial  of  in  Man- 
churia,  204  ;  sale  of  daemons, 
412.  ' 

Chil-sung  Mon,  the,  315.  316. 

China,  diplomatic  relations  with 
Korea,  19,  182. 

Chinese  in  Korea,  12,  20,  182- 

predominant  influence  of,  22,' 

452;  their  settlement  in  C^c- 

tnulpo,    31;    the    colony    at. 

)eoul,    44;    consternation    ; 


Chinese  colony,  jm-   connec- 
tion with  Korea  severed,  458 
Uiiaese  Manchuria,  237,  244 
Chm-nam-po.  19,  357,  453. 

Chmo-Japanese  War,  origin  of 
the,  2o6.  * 

f^hOi  Sok  da;tnon,  420 

Chol-muri  Kaut,  the,  411. 

ChoJ-yoiig-7;o.  23. 

Cho>i«^rdong,  427,  437, 

Ch«R:v_phong,  town  of,  90,  93. 
94;  lemale  curiosity  at,  04. 

Chong-sOp  (abbots),  141. 

Chon-shin  daemons,  418. 

ChSn-yaing,  88. 

Chosen  Magazine,  The,  440. 

Cho  Wang  daemon,  420. 

Christianity,progressof,2oi,202. 
Christian  missions  (see  Mission- 
aries and  the  Missions), 
'christians,  native,  65,  227 
Christian  work  in  Seoul,  63;  in 
Korea,   65;    Korean   estimate 
of.  438. 
Christie,  Dr.,  198,  201,  202,  211. 
Chu-la,  25,  306. 
Chun-chh6n,  109. 
^Ij^ng  Chong-Do,  75,  84. 
Chyu-pha  Pass,  the,  129. 
C  ass  privileges,  loi,  446,  450. 
Climate,    healthy  character  of. 

16;  at  Mukden,  201. 
Coasts,  character  of,    15;    tour 

along,  150. 
Coinage  of,  20,  66,  398. 
Concubinage,  a  recognized  in- 

stitution,  342. 
Confucian     college,     the,     382: 

temples,  76,  83,  94,  103. 
Confucianism  in  Korea,  21,  22 
Conjugal  fidelity,  116,  341,  343. 
Conspiracies,  frequency  of,  447. 
constitutional  changes.  371-386 
Conventions    with    China,    re- 
nunciation of  the,  207 
^:c 'kery  of  the  Koreans',  154 
^'i;^;^J'«^°P'33.37,49.63.64. 

ti%8.''"°°  **  Seoul.  30,  33, 
-crruption,  431.  448. 


Index 


477 


y,  i''-^,  connoc- 
;a  severed,  458. 
ria.  237,  244. 
.  357,  458- 
War,  origin  of 

.  420, 
the,  411. 
3. 

.  437- 

'wn  of,  90,  93, 
losity  at,  94. 
ts),  141. 
ns,  418. 

TAf,  440. 
n,  420. 

ressof,20i,202. 
s  (see  Mission- 
lissions). 
'<  65,  227, 
1  Seoul,  63;  in 
'rean   estimate 

I  201,  202,  211. 


.  75,  84. 
le,  129. 
:oi,  446,  450. 
character  of, 
201. 

of,    15;    tour 

.  398. 
ecognized  in- 

e,  the,  382; 
94.  103. 
-orea,  21,  22. 
116,  34t,  343. 
Jency  of,  447. 
»ges,  371-386. 
China,    re- 

';   207. 

reans,  154. 
»7,  49.  63,  64, 

Seoul,  30,  33, 

8. 


Cossacks,  Russian,  rigid  discip- 
line of,  238. 

Costumes,  26,  27,  45,  46. 

Council  of  State,  formation  of 
a,  370,  375- 

Council  of  State  (Korean),  or- 
ganization of,  375. 

Court  functionaries,  428,  430. 

Crown  Prince,  the,  253,  273, 
362,  365,  428;  Princess,  the, 
273- 

Customs,  Korean,  59,  78,  loi, 
114,  127,  265,  266,  287,  359, 

Customs  revenue  the  backbone 
of  Korean  finance,  458. 

Curzon,  the  Hon.  G.  W.,  138. 

Daemon  festivals,  410, 

Daemons,  classification  of,  421. 

Damon  Worship,  79;  fear  of 
daemons,  127,  129;  daemonism, 
399.  404,  409,  417-      ^ 

Dallet's  Histoire  de  1'  Eglise  de 
Kor6e,  11;  quoted  in  regard  to 
the  position  of  women, 341, 355. 

Dancing  women,  344,  352. 
"  Death,  customs  connected  with, 
63. 

Deluge,  a  Manchurian,  193. 

Diamond  Mountain  Monasteries, 
.133. 

Diamond  Mountain,  the,  74,  75, 
103,  129,  133,  140. 

Disciples,  Five  Hundred,  Tem- 
ple to,  170. 

Distinctions  between  Patrician 
and  Plebeian  abolished,  385. 

Divination,  407,  408. 

Dog-infested  Seoul,  47. 

Dog  meat,  use  of,  154. 

Dogs,  47,  72. 

Dolmens,  131. 

Domestic  animals,  few,  x6i; 
life  unknown,  355;  slaves,  47. 

Domiciliary  visit,  304, 

Dragon  daemons,  417. 

Drunkenness  common,  91. 

Dwellings,  77. 

Dye,  General,  American  mili- 
tary  adviser,  271,  272,  277,  279. 

Dynasty,  Korean,  worn  out,  255. 


Eastern  Siberia,  maritime  prov- 
inces of,  242-244. 

Eastern  Siberian,  drift  of  popu- 
lation to,  244. 

Edgar,  H.  M.  S.,  302. 

Edicts.     See  Royal. 

Education,  143,  203,  387,  438; 
the  ministry  of,  382,  391. 

Education  and  Foreign  Trade, 
387. 

Education  in  the  hamlets,  79. 

"  Eight  Views,"  the  155. 

Elm  trees,  fine,  93. 

English  mission,  the  first,  63. 

English-speaking  Koreans  at 
Seoul,  49. 

Eternal  Rest,  Temple  of,  134. 

Eui-chyeng  Pu  (the  cabinet),  371, 
377. 

Europeans,  Korean  estimate  of, 
438.. 

Examinations  for  ofilcial  posi- 
tion, 152;  royal  exams,  abol- 
ished, 388. 

Exorcists  and  Exorcism,  114, 
344.  350,  400,  405,  423. 

Exports  and  Imports,  392;    re- 
turns of,  466,  467. 
Extortions  and  tyrannies,  450. 

Falconry,  74, 

Farmers,  447,  450. 

Fauna  of,  16. 

Fengtien  Cavalry  Brigade,  210. 

Ferguson  &  Co.,  Messrs.,  185. 

Fermented  liquors,  91,  92. 

Ferries,  104. 

Ferry  boat,  an  ingenious,  131. 

Festivals,  410-413. 

Fetishes,  416,  421. 

Fever,  attack  of,  193. 

Finance,  396. 

Fire  Dragon  Pool,  the  145. 

Fish  and  Fishing,  158. 

"Five      Hundred      Disciples," 

temple  of  the,  170. 
Floods  in  Manchuria,  193. 
Flora  of,  17. 
Forced  labor,  337. 
Foreign  Goods,  trade  in,  24,  387 

391.  395,  464. 


I 
I 


478 


Index 


Fordgn    liquors,    love    of,    oi; 
..Office,  the,  38r.  '    ^' 

Forest  wealth,  1 7. 
Formosa,  transfer  of,  260 
fortress,  an  ancient,  105. 

F/°"^Sages,"Hallofthe,  136. 
Fox,  Mr.,  37,  39.  •    J  • 

irench  clocks,  rage  for  at  Yn 

_  Ju.  90,  91. 

Frescoes,  curious,  60,  310. 

Funerals,observancesat,  62.286 

Fusan,  20,  23.  24.  25;  its  Japan! 
ese  character,  26;  markets  of, 
28,  Europeans  in,  178;  Janl 
anese  soldiers  in,  245  454- 
population  of,  469.  ^^^' 

Gale,  Mr.,  167,  173;  Mrs.,  173. 

Game,  174.  '    '•'• 

Gap  Pass,  the,  36,  181, 

tS"^(}  M'--  (acting  consul),  35, 

183;  Mrs.  and  Miss,  37 
Gautama,  a  shrine  of,  137 
Geographical     position     deter- 

mines  Korea's  political  rela- 

tionships,  452. 

Geology  and  the  geological  for- 
mation. 15. 

Gesang,  The,  (singing  and  danc 
35!.  3^5?^  Phyfng.yang. 

Ginseng. ''the elixir oflife,"2Q6- 
extent  of  its  cultivation    2?7' 

riWl''^''""  ^°'  market,  298.' 
Giri-babies,   not  specially    wel- 
come in  a  family,  300,  341. 
Giris,  seclusion  of,  iiq     ^ 
Godobin,  Fort,  214. 

rnt°l^^''  ^^™P'«  to  the,  319. 

Go ld-digg,ng,  108,  322,  324     ^ 

Gold-dust  exports,  108. 
Golden  Sand,  the  river  of,"  80, 

Gold  ornaments,  loS, 

Gorge,  a  grand,  95. 

Government   departments  (Ko- 
rean) reorganized.  381 

W«;«.«/G^a..«.,the,373,374. 

•■  r'^nT.^"^  Hospital,"  the.64. 
Great  Fifteenth  Day,  "the  266. 


Greathouse,  General,  76. 
Greathouse,  Mr..44x:' 
Greek  Church   in  Siberia, 
Us  Litany,  231. 


229; 


Ha  Ch  1  style  of  music,  166. 
Ha-in  class,  the,  448. 

.7?i''-"0PPing  edict,  359.  36, 
.  Haf-wayPlace,"the,9i.^^* 
Hall  of  the  Four  Sages."  1,6 
Ham.gy«ng  Do.  219.  223.  233^ 
Ham.gy6ng  Province,  156,   163 
Hanka  Lake,  242,  244!        '      ^' 
S»"  D?"fi^'^'"ageof,  68,70.  76. 

Tin.  I'     u       ^'  92.  99.  103,  106, 

10    a  cheap  and   convenien 

highway,  in;  descent  of  the. 
105;  fauna  and  flora  of,  71,  72 

a?ounS°t'he,"7x'  "''  '"""^ 
Han  valley,  inhabitants  of  the, 
70.  78-79;  cultivaiion  of  the 
100;  limestone  cliffs  of  the' 
104;  schools  in  the,  79;  teml 
perature  of  the,  81.    ^' 

Harbors  of  Fusan  and  W«n-San 

^4.  30.  ' 

Ha-;,  Sir  Robert,  213. 

Hats,  monstrous,  345 

Heidemann,  JWr.,  22^,  228,  231. 

Hemp  cultivation,  gr.  "^ 

Hermit  City,  the,  37 

"  Hermit  Nation,"  the,   opened 

„.by  the  treaties  of  1883.  tr 

Hilher,  Mr.,  183,  246.  251   2^0 
269,  28i,  283.  ^  •    =9' 

.^^'?,;  denudation  of,  17. 
Hill  Towns,"  the,  308. 
Hiroshima,  trial  of  assassins  at. 

Hoa-chung,  151,  152. 
Hoang-chyongSan,  153. 
Home  Office,  the,  381. 
Homesteads  of  the  Han  Valley, 

Hong  Colonel,  271,  272,  274. 
Hon-j6,  293.  '^ 

Ho  pai,ordivining  table, the.4oa 


Index 


479 


Hospitals  supported  and  con- 
ducted by  the  Missions,  33. 

Houseliold  spirits,  418. 

Hulbert,  Rev.  H.  B..  164,  165, 
166,  391. 

Hu-nan  Chang,  94. 

Hun-chun,  228,  230,  237;  Chi- 
nese at,  237,  238. 

Hun-ho  river,  the,  199. 

Hunt,  Mr.,  25,  458. 

Hwang-hai  Do,  16. 

Hwang-hai  Province,  303. 

Hy6n,  Colonel,  272. 

Idleness  of  the  nobles  at  Seoul,  46 

Im,  accident  to  my  servant,  331. 

Images,  stone,  170,  171. 

Im-jin,  292. 

Im-jin  Gang,  the,  292. 

Immorality,  341. 

Import  trade,  value  of,  393. 

Incantations,  425. 

Independence  Arch,  the,  439. 

Independence  of  Korea  assured 

by  the  Japanese,  247;  opposed 

by  the  native  officials,  262. 
Independence,  proclamation  of, 

247. 
Independent  newspaper,  the,  439^ 

440. 
Industries,  26. 
Inns,  regular  and  irregular,  124, 

125,  157,  294,  326. 
Inouye,   Count,   247,   251,   261, 

262,  268,  270,  274,  280. 
Inscription,  an  amusing,  loi. 
Interior  of  the  country,  efforts 

to  reach,  49,  66. 
Interrupted  Shadow,  Island  of 

th?.  23. 
Inundation  in  Manchuria,  195. 
Isolation  maintained  up  to  1876, 

19. 
I-tai,  the  innkeeper,  31,  245. 
Itinerary  of  travel,  357,  358. 

Jaisohn,  Dr.,  129,  389,  439. 

Japanese,  designs  of  in  Korea, 
181,  206 ;  lacking  in  tact, 
263,453;  in  Korea,  26;  their 
settlement  in  Chemulpo,  31 ; 


hatred  of  the  Koreans  to- 
wards, 31,  344;  shipping  and 
commerce  of,  32;  control  rice 
trade  of  Chemulpo,  32;  the 
Legation  and  colony  at  Seoul, 
43;  Japs  in  W6n-San,  176; 
prestige,  a  blow  to,  278. 

Japan,  last  glimpse  of,  23;  sea 
of,  14.  30,  74.  103.  145.  149; 
outwits  China  in  Korea,  182. 

Jones,  Mr.  Heber,  341,  400,  415, 
418. 

"Judgment,  Temple  of,"  139. 

Junks,  Korean,  174. 

Justice,  the  Ministry  of,  383. 

Ka-chang,  322,  323. 

Kai-chh5n,  355. 

Kai-SSng  (Song-do),  293. 

Kal-rSngi,  150. 

Kang-ge  Mountain?,  297. 

Kang,  the,  197,  204. 

Kang-w5n  Do,  the,  i4. 

Kangw5n  Province,  156, 

Kanjo  SAim6onevrspa.per,  A.  .  ;,.to. 

Ka-phySng,  109,  112. 

Keum-Kang  San  Mountains, 
the,  107,  129,  133,  !40,  141, 
146,  149,  150;  Monasteries  of, 
134,  141. 

Keum-San  Gang  river,  129, 

Keum-San  goldfields,  323,  355. 

Khabaroflka,  242,  244;  Korean 
settlers  near,  225,  233. 

Khordadbeh,  the  Arab,  his 
"  Book  of  Roads  and  Prov- 
inces," 12. 

Ki-cho,  the,  138,  i^t,  T49, 

Ki-jun,  355. 

Kimchi,  89,  153,  154. 

Kim  Ok-yun,  murderer  of,  432. 

Kim,  the  boatman,  70,  82,  85, 
92,  101-102,  107. 

King  Li  Hsi  and  the  Kur-dong 
at  Seoul,  58;  audience  with, 
appearance  and  character  of, 
252.  253,  256-260,  268,  428; 
practically  a  prisoner,  362; 
escapes  to  the  Russian  Lega- 
tion, 365,  430;  issues  procla- 
mation  respecting  hair-crop- 


480 


I  i 


i|!     1 


Index 


Kinfir's  oath,  the  Korean.  249. 
Kings,  palace  of  the,  205. 

Of  Chine-.  .:v.l.*i..u,.iln  t^  • 
l2thce>uury,i2,355;histo„b 
and  temple.  318,  319. 

Kobe,  175.  -^  ^ 

Kol-lip  daemon,  421. 

Ko-mop-so  river,  the  323. 

Ko-moun  Tari.  310 

Komura,  Mr.,  278,  281. 

Kong-wOn  Do,  74,  155. 

Kong-wfln,  107. 

"•J,4;lhe(;hurchof,  11;  open- 
ed  first    by   the   treaties,    u- 

anS   h^'T'   '3;  "vers,  likes,' 
and   harbors.    14;    volcanoes 

14,  geology,    15;  mountains, 

15,  climate,    16;    fauna,    16- 
forest   wealth,    17;    flora     17.' 
minerals,    17;    rulers   of    18- 
cabinet  ministers,   18;   army' 
'9;  provinces  of.  ,9;  the  rev! 
enue  and  its  sources,  19;  trea- 
ties  with,  19;  the  coinage,  ig 
20;  treaty  ports,  20;  lanluage 
20,  21;    religion,   21.  6|,  3^: 
society,  22;  neighbors  of,  2v' 
foreign  women    in,  28;  r^beU 
I'on    ,n  South   rn.    179;    Tap- 
anes*;  propos    s   for   its    ad- 
™";""'ation    206;   the  King's 
oath,   249;    dynasty  of.   worn 
out    255;  a  dark  chapter  in  its 
Ji'-tory,    271;   last   words  or, 

^fJiu      '■•'°"'     ''•445;  class 
Lul8^^"^'^Oi.4-t6.45o;dis. 
satisfaction  in,  281;  farmers  in, 
447,450;  Japanes'' .'jiiuei'-e in 
25,  3i,.359-  431.  440  452;  law,' 

LtTT"    ''.°''"  ■441/mar: 

Kets  in,  fcs  isF  ,ary  meth- 
ods  in.  28  ,  6  ^oney  of. 
ot'-    67,    7',    provincial    aovl 

fnTo"!,s^'  37=^.  .378;  rfads 
injjo,  128;  security  in.  295; 
trade  in.  24,  32,  304,  307,  gji-' 
winter  in.  36.  ''  ^^  ' 


^°!:*f"  ^n'mals.   73;  bulls,  36, 
tio.  162;  customs.  59,  65   78 

IVo'  dlL  "°'   "7.   283.''3    : 

359,  dogs,  47,   73;  dwellings 

77,      education.      143,      J' 

finance,  396;   graves.  36,   Ci- 

offic.als,46;  pigs.  73.    62.322" 

Sr,  A ''"P'  7''  '^3  ;  soli 
diers  56.  209;  streets,  27: 
travellers,  127;  villages.  7?' 
162.  225.  234.  **"■   "• 

A-cr^att   Christian  Advocate,  and 
Christian  News,  the.  440. 

Korean   Repository,  the.  ii,  168. 

„  346.  352,  440. 

Koreans,  the,  traces  of  Manchu- 
nan  conquest  on,  J2;  uniform, 
tty  of  their  costume,  12;  phv- 

8>ogn^ -ny  of.  12;  a  hanu  .ome 
r=KK     ■',''«'«''*  of,  13;  mental 
calibreof,  13;  possess  Orie      1 
vices,  13;  seclusion  and  in 
nor  position      f    women,    n 

^nH^^^?'*,^'  '■^''''  corruption 
and  brutal  methods  of  pun- 
ishment, 33;  squalid  character 
of  ordir.ary  Korean  life  c  , 
330;  encumbered  with  debt' 
70;    a    drunken    people      02' 

voracity  and  omnivorous  charl 
acter,    154;   their  music.   164- 

tS/.V"  ^•'^"^' "3;  attach 
themselves  ,  the  Greek 
Church,  229;  under  IMuscovite 
government.  233;  race  im- 
proved  by  settlement  in  Si- 
beria. 236,  336:  independence 
-' secured  by  .apanese,  247 

Kowshlnr.t\,^^     nsport,  207! 

Ko-yar,^,  285.  ^86.  ^ 

Krasnoy,   Celo,  2  o.  233,234. 

^  '-mu-nio,  no.  ^^'  ^^' 

a''',  282,  362;  abolition  of  the. 


Kuntz  and  Albers,  Messrs.,  216 

220.  224,  239. 
Kur-dong.   the,    a  unique      jt 


Index 


481 


now  rare  ceremonial,  51,  60, 

61,  119,  247. 
K'wan,  233. 
Kwan-jtt.the,  (official  passport), 

86,  87,  128,  146,  159.  283. 
Kwan-yin,  143;  image  of,  137. 
Kwass,  231. 

Kyei,  or  associations,  440. 
Kyeng-pok     Palace,    251,    256, 

365.  3(^9,  433.  437. 
Kyeng-wun    Palace,    the,    369, 

398,  428,  4?      437. 
Kyfing-heufiK,  ^27. 
KyOng-hwi  Province,  303. 
Ky6ng-kwi  Do.  75. 
Kyfing-ku-kyttng.  141,  146. 
Kyflng-sang  Province,  25,  30. 
Kyting-wfin  Do,  75. 

Lakes,  14. 

Landis,  Dr.,  400,  415,  421. 

Language  of  the  Koreans, 20, 1 73. 

Laundresses,  45,  339, 

Lava-fields,  16,  131. 

Law  its  administration  infa- 
mous, 441. 

Liau  river,  the,  186,  193,  199. 

Li  Hsi,  the  King,  royal  proces- 
sion of  at  Seoul,  55;  in  seclu- 
sion at  outbreak  of  war,  183. 

Li  Hung  Chang,  267. 

Lindholm,  Mr.,  241. 

Lion  Stone,  the,  145. 

Liquor  drinking,  91. 

Litany,  a  Greek,  231. 

Literary  s\v   lis,  104,  310, 

Literatun  .  iise  Temple  of,  382. 

Lone-tree  Hill,  the,  45. 

Long-shin  daemons,  417. 

Lotus  dance,  the,  352. 

Lucifer  matches,  168. 

Lynch  law,  amateur,  104. 

Macdonald.  Sir  Claude,  430. 
Ma-cha  Tong  lake,  156,  158. 
Ma-chai,  85,    06,  iii. 
Magistrate,  an  interview  wit*-  a, 

86. 
Ma-ha-ly-an  Sa  monastery,  143, 
Mak-pai  P  ss,  the,  1^0. 
Ma-k^'o,  I    ). 


Mama,  or  the  smallpox  daemon, 
413.  414. 

Manchu  head-dress,  200;  sol- 
diers, 2o3,  210. 

Manchu  race,  the,  igo, 

Manchuria,  brigands  in,  188; 
Chinese  immigrants  to,  188; 
Government  of,  201;  immi- 
grations from,  12;  population 
of,  187;  trade  of,  189;  vice- 
royalty  of,  187,  191;  authoress 
departs  to,  186;  sojourn  at  vice 
royalty  of,  187;  a  deluge  in, 
193;  old  capital  of,  201;  prac- 
tice of  medicine  in,  203;  lest 
hostile  to  foreigners,  207;  visit 
to  Russian,  223. 

Mandarins  and  their  retainers, 
329. 

Mang-kun,  the,  114,  360. 

Man-pok-Tong,  the,  145;  fear 
of  tigers,  132,  292,  302,  325; 
superstition  of,  129. 

Manufactures,  18. 

Ma-pu,  35,  40,  68,  i8i. 

Mapus,  or  grooms,  121-132, 164, 
284,  285,  :-  ^,  302. 

Marble  pagoua  of  Seoul,  the,  43. 

Ma-ri  Kei,  132. 

Market,  a  Korean,  28,  306,  307. 

Marriage  customs,  114,  342. 

Marriage,  early,  prohibited,  385. 

Matunin,  Mr.,  227. 

Meals,  79;  by  the  way,  82,  83. 

Medicine,  practice  of  in  Man- 
churia, 203;  medical  missions 
ir      01  ea,  124, 

Mebuzoic  '       metamorphic 

rocks.     '■;  Geology.) 

Miller,  Mi.,  ,4  young  missionary 
fellow-traveller,  66,  70,  83,  87. 
104,  105,  142,  151,  159. 

Mineral  wealth  of,  17, 18,  25, 108. 

Missionaries  and  the  Missions, 
20,  21,  29,  30,  63,  64,  65,  17.', 
198,  201,  346,  390;  statistics  of 
Missions   462,  463. 

Monarchy,  character  of  th«    18. 

Monasteries,  Dian.jnd  Mount- 
ain, 133. 

Monastery  of  S6k-WangSa,  169. 


4^2 


Index 


I 


Mongolian  eye,  obliquity  of  In 

the  Koreans,  13. 
Millet,  the  use  of.  321, 
Min  clan,  the,  a6i, 
Ming  tombs,  the,  aor. 
Ministers,  execution  of.  ifi?-  at 
State,  duties  of,  379.   '  ^  ^'  °' 
'  Ministres  de  Parade,"  aoi. 
Mm  Yeng-chyun,  371. 
Minang,  35. 
Mirioks.  76,  in,  386. 
Miriok  Yang  Pass,  321, 
Missionary  work,  aa,  39,  30,  63- 
05.    173,   30I,    307,    237,   346; 
statistics  of,  463. 
Mission   Hospital,  a  fine,    aoa- 
service,  a,  350.  ' 

Miura,   General  Viscount,  260 

270.  275,  277,  453.  455. 
Moflfet,  Mr.,  76.  312,  313,  316, 
„320,  347. 
Mok-po,  458. 
Mok-po  river.  14,  ro. 
Money,  66,  78, 
Monks,    133-149;  ignorant  and 

superstitious,  143. 
Monuments,  394. 

Mou-chin  T  i,  338,  336,  338. 

Mounds,  used  for  interment  of 
the  living,  175. 

Mountainous  character  of    the 
country,  15;  of  Seoul,  45, 

Mourning  costume,  63. 

Mukden,  anti-foreign  feeling  in, 
208,  3ii;  cabs  of,  199;  mission 
hospital,  3oa;  pawnshops,  305- 
suicides  in,  205;  system  of 
medicine,  303;  trade  of.  200, 
211:  city  of,  192.  199,  200;  its 
successful  missions,  201,  202 
208.  ' 

Mulberry     gardens    of    Seoul 

43. 
Mulberry  palace  of  Seoul,   4? 

247,  416.  *='' 

Music,  discordant  character  of 

the  native,  164,  165;  voc?'    66, 
Murata  rifle,  the,  209, 
Mu-tang,  belief  in,  422-426. 
Mu-tang    sorcerors,     114,     129, 

164,    287,    290,   3t3,  335,   351 


400,  408;  as  oracles,  413;  rite. 
ot,  413    marriage  with.  435. 
Myo-kil  Sang,  the,  145.  ' 

Nagasaki,  Chinese  town  of  ai 
213.  269,  '    •*• 

Nai  Kak,  the,  377. 

Naktong,  64. 

Nak-Tong  river,  14,  35. 

Nam  Chhon  valley  and  river. 
308,  309.  • 

^*Ti."*"  ^o""-"".  83, 84, 105, 

Nam-San,  45,  68,  163,  169;  for- 
tress, 105.  ^' 

^68!  97."  '"°""'*'''«''  39.  43.  45. 
Nang.ch«n,  106,  no,  n2. 
^aniwa,  the  cruiser.  207. 
National  life   of    Korea  exists 

only  at  Seoul,  59. 
Newchwang,  city  of.  175.  186. 

J87.  191.  192,  213,  355;  port  of. 

Newspapers    issued    at    Seoul 

440.  • 

Nicolaeffk,  319. 
Night,  a  hideously  memorable 

t57.  ' 

Nikolskoye,  military  station  of. 

240.  341;  Korean  settlements 

near,  233. 

"  Ninety-nine  Turns,"  pass  of 
the,  152. 

Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha.  steamers 
.01.  175.  i8r. 

Nobles     their    idleness,    46;    a 
privileged    class,    loi;    exac- 
tions of,  102. 
North  branch  of  the  Han,  voy- 
age  on,  106,  ' 

Northward  ho!  320 
Nowo  Kiewsk,  Russian  military 

post,  224,  225,  234,  238. 
Nuns,  141. 


O-bang-chang-kun  da5mons,4i5. 

O  Conor,  Lady,  186, 

Officials,  superbly  dressed,  46, 
54;  resent  the  new  r6gime  in- 
augurated  by   the  Japanese, 


Index 


483 


36a;  considered  as  vampires  in 
Korea,  303,  370,  373;  memo- 
rabilia governing,  379;  cor- 
ruption of,  397,  431. 

O-hung-sulc  Ju,  301. 

Oieson,  Mr.,  158,  458. 

Oil  paper  used  as  mats,  323. 

Okamoto,  Mr.,  271,  277. 

Omnivorous  Koreans,  134. 

Op  Ju  dsmon,  420. 

Oracles,  412. 

Orange  peel,  use  of,  92. 

Oricol,  346. 

Osaka,  267. 

Osborne,  Mr.,  458. 

Oahima,  General,  318. 

Otori,  Mr.,  44, 183,  269,  373,  374, 

455- 
Ou-chin-gang,  344. 
Outfit,  67. 

Pagoda,  a  ruinous,  91. 
Pai-Chai  College,  388. 
Paik-kui  Mi,  102,  113.  114. 
Paik-tu  San   Mountain,  14,  15, 

334. 
Paik-Yang   Kang   River,  The, 

130,  131- 
Pai-low,  the  439. 
Pa  Ju,  285,  292. 
Pa-ka  Mi,  loi,  I02. 
Pak-su  Mu,  the,  409. 
Pak-Yfing-Ho,  the  Minister,  247. 
Palace  department,  the,  385. 
P'al-kyong,  155, 
Pa-mul  daemon,  420. 
Pangas,  123,  162. 
Pang-wha  San,  97. 
Pan-pyOng, 130. 
Pan-su,  the,  402,  424. 
Paper  manufacture,  306,  323. 
Passenger  cart,  a  Chinese,  197. 
Pawnabi^ps  cf  Mukden,  205. 
"  Pea-boats  "  187,  192. 
Peasants'  houses,  77. 
Peasant  farmer,  the,  78,  305. 
Pechili,  Gulf  of,  184,  213. 
Pedlers,  Korean,  75,  306. 
Peiho  river,  186. 
Peking,  European  exodus  from, 

313. 


Peking  Pass.  the.  43.  437.  439- 

Peninsula  of  Korea,  its  geo- 
graphical  location,  13. 

People,  the,  oppressed  by  taxa< 
tion,  102. 

Phallic  symbols,  iir. 

PhyMng-an  Do,  321;  goldfields, 
io8,  322. 

Phyiing  Kang  goldfields,  108. 

PhOng-yang,  280,  293,  305,  308, 
3to,  312-319,  328,  330;  occupa- 
tion by  the  Japanese,  313; 
battle  of,  309,  261,  317;  size 
of,  356;  coal  mines  of,  315; 
dancing  and  singing  girls  at, 
352;  first  view  of,  310;  Japan- 
ese soldiers  for,  245,  285;  mis- 
sion work  at,  346,  350;  toy 
shops  in,  168. 

Physical  appearance  and  height 
of  the  Koreans,  13,  26. 

Physiognomical  features  of  the 
Koreans,  12. 

Pigs,  73,  162,  322. 

Pirates,  attacked  by,  212. 

Police,  434,  441. 

Political  relationships,  452. 

Pong-san,  304. 

Ponies,  32,  36,  54,  121,  122,  163. 

Pflpheung,  king,  135. 

Population,  13,  76. 

Port  Lazareflf,  174. 

Port  Shestakoff,  174,  219. 

Po-san,  345.  355- 

Posango,  75. 

Possiei  Bay,  224,  228,  233. 

Potato  cultivation,  229,  333. 

Po-tok-am  shrine,  143. 

Potong  Mfln,  315,  317. 

Potters  at  work,  85. 

Pottery,  native,  307. 

Prefectural  towns  on  the  Han, 
no,  112. 

Primorsk,  220,  223,  233,  236,  241. 

Princess'  Tomb,  the,  62. 

Prisons,  Eastern,  experience  of, 

442. 
Procession,  a  quaint  and  motley 

one  at  Seoul,  56. 
Protestant   churches    in   Seoul, 

63.  65. 


484 


Index 


Provincial     Government,     372 

378. 
Puk-han  fortress,  105. 
Puk-han  mountains.  39, 247, 284. 
Punishment,  brutal  character  of, 

among  Koreans,  33;  abolished 

by  rhe  Japanese,  263. 
Purification,  the  rite  of,  411. 
Putiata,  Colonel,  433. 
Pyeng-San,  308. 
Pyok-chol,  temple  of,  84. 
P'yo-un  Sa  monastery,  138,  130, 

143.  144. 

Queen  of  Korea,  audience  with, 
251;  description  of,  252;  dress 
of,  259;  assassination  of,  271, 
273.  455;  removal  of  the  re- 
mains of,  369,  428. !  > 

Rainfall,  161,  191. 

Rapids  of  the  Han,  92,  lor,  105. 

Rebellion    in    Southern    Korea. 

179- 
"Red  Door," distinction  of  the, 

299. 

Reforms  in  Korea  pressed  by  the 
Japanese,  257;  partial  accept- 
ance of,  386,  448,  452. 
Religion,  no    national,    21,    63, 

399. 
Religious  shrines,  76. 
Reorganized     Korean     govern- 

ment,  371. 
Revenue,  the,  and  Its  sources, 
„i9. 

Revolutions,  frequency  of,  447. 
Rice  cultivation,  155,  i6r. 
Rice  trade  of  Chemulpo  in  Ja- 
panese hands,  32,  33. 
Rice  wine  partaken  to  excess 

.91.  92. 
Richofen,   Baron,  his  work  on 

China,  12, 
Ride,  a  long,  hot,  156. 
Riong  San,  270,  271,  390. 
Ritual  of  invocation,  etc.,  411. 
Rivers,   lakes    and-  harbors  of 
Korea,  14,  25. 

Roads,  bad  character  of,  20,  123, 
128. 


Roman  Church  and  Missions  in 

Seoul,  64,  65. 
Ross,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  198, 202,  211 
Royal  city,  a,  292. 
Royal  Edict,  a  fraudulent,  276- 

later  edicts,  281,  366,  451. 
Royal    examinations,  abolition 

of,  388;  Library,  the,  256. 
Royal  tombs  of  Seoul,  62. 
Royalty,  an  audience  with,  24s 
Rulers  of  Korea,  i8. 
Russian   homes,  235;    adminis- 
tration, 236;  legation  at  Seoul. 
431. 
Russian  intervention,  281;  Man- 
churia, 223,  243;  soldier,  the. 
218. 
Russia's    "New    Empire"  and 
maritime  province,  242,  243- 
ascendancy  of.  430;  her  gains 
in    Korea,   455;   her    ascend- 
ancy  lost,  456. 
Russo-Chinese     frontier,      230- 
Japanese  Treaty,  471;  Korean 
frontier,   230;   Korean   settle- 
ments,   225,  226,   229;   hospi- 
tality  of,  235. 
Ryeng-an  Sa,  temple,  of,  84, 

Sabatin,  Mr.,  271,  272,  277. 

Saddle,  twelve  hours  in  the,  325. 

Sagem  daemons,  416. 

Saghalien,  220. 

Sai-kal-chai,  the,  150. 

Sai-nam,  gateway  at,  308. 

Sajorni,  231. 

Sakyamuni,  image  of,  136. 

Salt  industry,  the,  158,  228. 

Sampans,  70,  75. 

Sa-mun,  25. 

San  Chin-chai  Sok  daemon,  420. 

Sang-chin,  25. 

Sang-dan  San,  294. 

Sang-nang  Dang,  129. 

Sanitary  regulations,  436. 

San-kak-San  mountain,  38. 

San-Shin  RyOng  daemons,  416. 

Saretchje,  229. 

Sar-pang  Kori,  123,  126,  129. 

Satow,  Sir  E.,  68. 

Scotch  missionaries,  201,  207. 


Index 


485 


Scranton,  Dr.,  350. 

Sea  of  Japan,  74. 

Seoul-Fusan  railway,  projected, 
25. 

Seoul,  port  of,  14,  19;  the  capi- 
tal, 35;  mode  of  transit  and 
appropch  to,  36;  mean  archi- 
tecture of,  37;  population  and 
fine  situation  of,  38;  beautiful 
and  safe  environs  of,  39;  foul- 
ness of  the  intra-mural  city, 
.  40;  later  sanitary  improve- 
ments in,  40;  the  shops  and 
their  wares,  41;  the  great  civic 
bronze  bell,  41,42,  51;  beauty 
of  the  ancient  Marble  Pagoda, 
43;  its  hordes  of  mangy  dogs, 
47;  women  of,  free  to  take  ex- 
ercise in  the  streets  only  after 
nightfall,  47;  the  A'«r-<j/i;«'^ fes- 
tival, 51;  seat  of  government 
and  centre  of  official  life,  59; 
graves  of  the  capital,  61 ;  royal 
tombs  of,  62;  the  Missions 
and  Protestant  Churches,  63; 
authoress's  sojourn  in,  246; 
leaves  it,  267;  assassination 
of  the  Queen  at,  273;  mission 
and  ioreign  schools  in, 390;  dae- 
mon festivals  at,  411;  the  city 
in  1897,  427;  metamorphosis 
of,  435;  newspapers  of,  439, 
440;  banking  facilities  in,  20, 
32;  beacon-fire  in,  97;  Board  of 
Rites  at,  141;  burial  clubs  in, 
62;  Chinese  colony  in, 44;  clim- 
ate of,  16;  education  in,  387, 
390;  environs  of,  68;  first  im- 
pressions of,  35,48;  fortresses 
of,  84;  gates  of,  39;  houses  of, 
40,  436;  Japanese  ascendency 
in,  247,  261;  Japanese  colony 
in,  45;  lava  fields  near,  16; 
marbk  pagoda  in,  43,  84;  mis- 
sionaries in,  64 ;  Mulberry 
Palace,  43;  New  Year's  Day 
in,  264;  occupation  of,  by  Ja- 
pan, 206;  police  of,  434,441; 
political  conditions  in,  261,268; 
Prefect'  !  of,  372;  sanitary 
regulations  in,  436;  shops  in. 


41,  59,  168;  singing  and  danc- 
ing girls  at,  352;  streets  of,  435, 
436;  trade  of,  60,  75;  to  Won- 
san,  road  from,  129;  walls  of, 
39- 

Settlements,  223,  238. 

Seun-tjeung-pi,  or  monuments, 
294. 

Seven  Star  Gate,  the,  315. 

Shamanism,  21,  63,  401,  402. 

Shamans,  401. 

Shanghai,  175. 

Shan-tung,  188,  220. 

Sheep,  72.  163. 

Shen-si,  188. 

Shestakofif,  Port,  174,  218. 

Shimonoseki,  treaty  of,  269. 

Shin-chang,  or  daemon  generals, 
41S. 

Shipping  vessels  entering  Ko- 
rean ports,  return  of,  468. 

Shou-yang-yi,  321. 

Sho-wa  Ku,  194,  195. 

Shrines,  77,  129,  133,  149,  333. 

Shur-hung,  303,  415-418. 

Sian-chong,  322. 

Siao-ho  river,  199. 

Siberia,  Korean  settlers  in,  223, 
234;  "cussedness"  of  Sibe- 
rian ponies,  232. 

Si-jo  style  of  music,  165. 

Sill,  Mr.,  269,  28r. 

Simpson,  Mr,  J.  Y,,  244, 

Sin-gang  Kam,  109. 

Sin  Ki  Sun,  438. 

Sin-kyei  Sa  monastery,  149, 

Siphun  river,  241. 

Siptai-wong,  the,  or  "Ten  Jud. 
ges,"  288. 

"  Six  Great  Roads,"  the,  128. 

Slavery  abolished,  385. 

Smith,  Mr.  Charles,  217. 

Social  position  of  women,  338. 

Soci^ti  des  Missions  Etrangeres, 

389. 
So-il,  95. 

SCk-wang    Sa  monastery,    169, 

170. 
Soldier,   the    Korean,    56,    434; 

the  Chinese,  209;  the  Russian, 

218. 


486 


Index 


Sol-rak  San  mountain,  loo. 
bong-do,  visit  to  the  city  of,  203. 
Song,  examples  of  native,  166. 
bong  Ju  dsemon,  418. 
Song  Whoang  Dan  altar,4i  7,418. 
Son-tong,  141,  ^  "^    ' 

Sorcerers  and  geomancers,  403. 
6ormng  (sponging)  on  relations. 
446,  447- 

Spanish  chestnuts.groves  of,  108. 
Spasskoje,  242. 

Spinsterhood,  115. 

Spirits,  evil,  classified,  421,  422. 

bpirit  shrine,  a,  129,  133 

Spirit  worship  22,63,95,96. 
•'Star  Board,"  the,  287; 
St.  Peter,  Sisters  of,  64. 
St.  Peter  the  Great,  Gulf  of,  220. 
btraw  fringes,  use  of,  200. 
Streets,  27,  435. 
Stripling,  Mr.  A.  B.,  441. 
Su-chung  Dai,  155. 
Sugimura,  Mr.,  275,  277. 
Suicide,  prevalence  of  in  Muk- 

den,  205. 
Sun-chhdn,  338, 
Sungacha  river,  244, 
Suruga  Maru,  the  s.  s.,  269. 

Swallow  King's  Rewards,  The  iq^ 
Swings,  164.  '■'^' 

Sword  and  Dragon  Dance,  the. 

353. 
Syo-im,  159. 

Tablets,  stone,  103. 
Tai-dong  river,  14,  17,  108,  308. 
310,  314.  315.  322.  324,  327.  330. 
„,  335.  338,  344.355. 
laiping  rebellion,  188. 

tTo'^'^^i''  "-^^^  37.  207,  255. 

250,  262,  269,  271,  274,  275,  362, 

437. 
Taku  forts,  the,  186. 
Tanning  industry,  the.  441 
Tan-pa-Ryong    Pass,    the,    132. 

133,  134. 
Tan-yang   75,  90,  94.  97,  98,  106. 
Tao-jol,  the,  303. 
Ta-rai,  in. 

Tarantass  (Russian  vehicle),  the 
225,  226.  228. 


Ta-n-mak,  163,  168. 
Taxation,  burden  of,  102.  a8<i 
Tchyu-Chichang  Pass,  152. 
Temperature,  high,  157, 159.160. 

172.  191,  193;  low,  204,  246,  •JO'?. 

lemple,  interior  of  a,  87 
Temple  of  the  God  of  War,  6 1 
lemple  o'  the  Ten  Judges  " 
136.  ' 

Temples,  84. 133. 149. 170.295,303. 

Ten  Judges,"  the,  288. 
rhong.chh«n.  155. 
•^Throwing  the  ball,"  353. 
Tientsin,  175;  treaty  of,  206. 
Tiger-hunters,  73,  127,  150. 
iigers,   Korean    and    Manchu- 

"an,  73 ;  the  hunting  of,  73 

,'5o;  dread  of,  127;  "  tiger  on 

the  brain,"  132. 
Ti  Ju  daemon,  419,  420. 
Tok-ChhSn,  323,  325.  327.  328; 

squalor  of  dwellings  at.  320 
^  333.  345. 
Tol  Maru,  302. 
Tomak-na-dali,  85. 
Tombs.  77. 
Tonj4-haks,  the,  29,  80,  177,  180. 

181,206,264,370, 
Tong-ku,  131. 

^°P;'^."°»'  the,  359,  360,  361, 
302,  proclamation  regarding 
366,  *' 

Tornado,  a,  130. 
To-tam,  99,  100,  lor. 
To-ti-chi  Shin  daemons,  418 
Toys,  168.  ■ 

Trade,  24,  25,  31,  32,  304,  308, 
391  390.  450;  statistics,  462, 
466;  foreign,  extent  of,  301. 
392. 464.  ^ 

Tragedy,  a  palace,  273. 
Trans-Siberian     railroad,     174- 
trip    over  eastern  section  of.' 
239;  construction  of,  244 
Transition  stage,  a,  in  Korean 

annals,  261. 
Travellers,  127. 
Travelling,   arrangements    for. 

67,  70. 
Treasury  department  at  Seoul. 
301;  cleansing  of,  449. 


Index 


487 


Treaties  with  foreign  countries, 

19.  471,  473. 
Treaty  ports,  20,   32,  357,  458; 

population  of,  469,  470. 
Treaty  powers,  the,  207. 
Troops  (Chinese)  on  march,  206. 
Tso,  General,  203,  210,  215,  315, 

320;  death  of,  316. 
Tsushima,  island  of,  23. 
Tu-men  river,  14,  17,  223,  228, 

230,  231,  233,  242. 
"Twelve     Thousand     Peaks," 

beauty  of  the,  138. 
Tyzen  Ho  river,  233. 

Underwood,  Mrs.,  251,  252,  254, 

279. 
Un-san,  322. 

Unterberger,  General,  217. 
Upper  classes,  inactivity  of,  446. 
Ur-rop-sc,  108. 
Us&uri,  239,  240. 
Ussuri  railway,  239,  240. 
Ut-Kiri,  107,  no. 

Vermin,  protection  against,  292. 

Vernacular  schools.  Govern- 
ment, 388. 

Victoria,  Queen,  referred  to  by 
Queen  of  Korea,  259. 

Victory,  cost  of,  267. 

'••llages,  77,  162,  225,  226,  229, 
234;  dirty  and  squalid,  130. 

village  system,  the,  383  ;  coun- 
cil  of,  384. 

Vladivostok  {See  Wladivostok). 

Vocal  music,  native,  166. 

Volcanic  action,  signs  of,  14,  16. 

"  Volunteer  Fleet,"  the  Russian, 
218,  239. 

Voracity  of  the  Koreans,  154. 

Voyage  up  the  Han,  A,  82;  its 
drawbacks,  105. 

Waeber,  Mr.,  183,  368,  431; 
Mme.,  280, 

"  Walking  the  Bridges,"  custom 
of,  266. 

War,  impending,  177. 

War  declared,  208,  454;  disar- 
ranges ocean  transit,  213;  en- 


thusiasm   for,    214;    reforms 
induced  by,  268. 

Warner,  Mr.,  68. 

War  Office,  382, 

Waters,  Colonel,  244. 

Wei-hai  wei,  fall  of,  267. 

Wei-man,  355. 

Western  China,  visit  to,  282,  284; 
equipment  for,  284. 

Whang  Hai  coast,  the,  357. 

Whang-Ju,  308-310. 

"White-headed  Mountain,"  14. 

Widows,  remarriage  of,  291,  385. 

Wife,  the  duty  of  a,  118. 

Wildfowl,  174. 

Wilkinson,  Mr.,  31. 

Witch  doctors,  203. 

Wladivostok,  24,  25,  175,  313- 
222,  223,  224,  239,  240,  241; 
great  progress  of,  2iq;  its 
militarism, 221;  Chinese  shops 
in,  220;  climate  of  222;  Ko- 
rean settlements  near,  233; 
population  of,  219;  public 
buildings  in,  220;  visit  of  the 
Tsar  to,  239. 

Wol-po,  323. 

Women  of  Korea,  seclusion  and 
inferior  position  of,  13,  119; 
"slaves  to  the  laundry"  at 
Seoul,  45;  Seoul  women  per- 
mitted to  take  exercise  in  the 
streets  only  after  nightfall, 
47;  curious  to  see  and  inspect 
the  garb  of  foreign  women, 
88,  94,  127;  subjection  of  as  a 
wife,  ii8;  social  position  of, 
338.  339;  peasant  women,  340. 

Won-chon,  no. 

Wong,  "  my  servant,"  66,  69,  92, 
no,  X25,  127,  164,.  193,  197. 

Won  Ju,  90,  94. 

W6n-San,    14,    19,    20,    73,    109, 
112,    123,    150,  158,  160,    163. 
169,    170,    173-178,    184.    245, 
328,    395;   population  of,  176, 
470;    Japanese     troops    pass 
through,  245. 
Won-sang,  trade  of,  176. 
Wyers,  Mr.,  69,  70. 
Wylic,  Mr.,  murder  of,  208,  211. 


488 


Index 


Yalu  river,  the,  14. 

Yamen,  a,  86,  93,  104,  112,  163, 

262.  303.  338;  runners,  51,  57 

^86.336,338,339.  ='='^' 

Yang-bans,  59.  77-79,   87,  10:, 

JSi's^Jif' "'•=«■'"■ 

Yang-kun,  83. 

Yangtze  rapids,  the.  106. 

Yang-wei.  103. 

Yantchihe,  226,  227. 

Ye  Cha  Yun,  427,  435. 

Yellow  Sea,  the,  14,  30. 

Jfen,  the  Japanese,  305. 

Yi  family,  daemon  of  the,  425. 

Yi,  General,  206.  ' 

',i!^^o  {"'  ^'•'  ^^3.  284.  292. 
294.  298,  302,   304,   308.   312, 


III:  lit.    ^''*'   ^'^'  33''   334. 
Yi  KyOng-jik,  273. 
Ying-tzU,  i86. 
Yo  Ju.  town  of,  86,  87;  authoress 

an  object  of  curiosity  at.  80 
Yong.Chhun.    75.   76.^02  7o3. 

T04.  106;  rapids  of,  log. 
Yong-Wfil,  78. 
Yon-yung  Pa-da,  357. 
Yuan,  Mr.,  44,  183;  big  bell  at. 

147. 
Yu-ch6m    Sa     Monastery     the 

138.  142,  143,  146,  147/ 
Yul-sa,  the  monk,  135. 
Yung-hing,  173. 
Yung-won,  328. 


n^US'B 


Standard  Missionary  Books. 

Persian  Life  and  Customs.  With  incidents  of  Residence 
and  Travel  in  the  Land  of  the  Lion  and  the  Sun.  By  Rev.  S. 
li.  Wilson,  M.A..  (or  15  years  a  missionary  in  Persia.  With 
map  and  other  illustrations  and  index.  Second  JiditwH,  8\o, 
cloth,  f  1.7s. 

In  pl'Ji^'*  %u°*'  ^^^^7  a  book  of  travel,  but  of  long  observation, 
in  Persia.  The  author  has  studied  virith  much  care  the  conriition  oi 
Persia  and  its  future  possibilities."— 7'/l»  AT.  V,  Tribune. 

Chinese  Characteristics.    By  Rev.  Arthur  H.  Smith,  D.D 
for  23  years  a  missionary  in  China.    With  16  full-page  oriffinal 
Illustrations,  and  index.    Sixth  thozisand.    8vo,  cloth,  $2.00. 
"  The  best  book  on  the  Chinese  people."— 7%«A^.  Y.  Examiner. 

From  Far  Formosa.  The  Island,  its  People  and  Missions. 
■  f'  ^*'^-,.9„^:  Mackay,  D.  D.,  23  years  a  missionary  on  the 
island.  Well  indexed.  With  many  illustrations  from  photo- 
graphs by  the  author,  and  several  maps.  Fifth  thousand.  8vo. 
cloth,  $2.00. 

^,  "Undoubtedly  the  man  who  knows  most  r.bout Formosa."— 
J  lie  Aevtew  oj  Reviews. 

Foreign  Missions  After  a  Century.    By  Rev.  J.  S.  Dennis. 

D.D.     Third  Edition.    8vo,  cloth,  $1.50; 

"A  broad,  philosophical  and  systematic  view  of  missionarv 
work  in  us  relation  to  tlie  living  Church."-  The  Independent. 

The  Ainu  of  Japan.    The  Religion,  Superstitions,  and  Gen- 
eral History  of  the  Hairy  Aborigines  of  .Japan.    By  Rev.  Tqhn 
Batchelor.    With  80  illustrations.    lamo,  cloth,  $1.50. 
"  Replete  with  information  of  all  sorts  about  the  Ainu  men. 

women,  and  children." -7>i«  Nation.  ' 

Joseph  Hardy  Neesinu,  the  Runaway  Japanese  Boy  who 
founded  the  First  Christian  Colleee  in  Japan.    Bv  Rev  T  D 
Davi.s,D,D.    Illustrated.    i2mo,  cloth,  |i.So       '^^'^^^-J-^- 

John  G.  Paton,    An  Autobiography.    Edited  by  his  Brother. 

Illustrated.    8vo,  cloth,  $1.50. 

A  new  one-volume  edition  of  the  complete  authorised  autobioe- 
raphy,  heretofore  $2.00  net.  " 

Vilungs  of  To-day.  Life  and  Medical  Work  among  the 
Fishermen  of  Labrador.  By  W.  T.  Grenfull,  M.D.  With 
many  illustraUons  from  photographs  by  the  author.  lamo. 
cloth,  5fi.2s. 

David  Livmgstone,  The  Personal  Life  of  Chiefly  from  his 
Unpublished  Journals  and  Correspondence  in  the  Possession  o£ 
his  Family.  By  W.  Garden  Blaikie,  D.D.,  LL.D.  With  Por- 
trait.   500  pages,  8vo,  cloth,  $1.50. 

The  Life  of  John  Kenneth  Mackenzie,  Medical  Missionary 

cioth'Sto^riS.     '■^''"°'''  ^'''"-"-*'-  "»<^ 


Latest  Missionary  Books. 

and  c  map.    8vo.  cloth  decoyated.^f  co  ^  drawings, 

dom-asanauthoriutew"o;k\^thYna''^^7-^:ir«^,,^^^ 
^fe'^°M  Armenia.     Letters  from  the  Scenes  of  tlie 

and  Mrs.  "arris  Jfi^^s^'^/En^i^dS  ^eJ^  ^el^^^^^^^ 

By^et.^l-I.^J'l^^^'^^ds  their  Peonle  and  Missions. 
Saga.    lUuMrl,cr\'.L'!c\^^:^^c^i^,  fe^"  ^'-on. 

inwhicrWes?er'i;,e^Var^moVi^^^^^^ 

coming  of  Christianifv  M?^  Hiffi^f?'^''-'.''^  '^"'l-  tlie  people,  the 
8ioas,lhe  coSdkon  orthenat,\e  rh^^^^^  I?rospects  of  her  mis- 
Dr  Peery's  book  in  a  verrinteres?in^^7eliaL  ,  V^^  ^°^"  '" 
condensed  form.  "ueresting,  reUabJe,  instructive  and 

^Ty  fe  oT  &*  ^'^-ToJ'^^  Story  of  the  M.s.on- 

Re^im-sTownfsieta&e^Af'ri^^  Society  in 

pertences,  he"e  old  7n  D?  piereonV  V™/^'^^'°  '^^3.  His  ex- 
we.  most  extraordl„ar?Ind"'^^r^o&i  fe"l?i„^^fe"v^- VtY^ 

^  ™TSfTllJ,^„^BTRev''/cl*°""  °f -^'"ion^ry  Work 

vivid  JSfa'ne%s%o'rk"e'4'1:tfe'^^^ 
adventures  through  wS  he  Dass^htp^f"-''^''  ^"^  *>"=  «""■*"(? 
I>aRe,  while  the  who^  l^k  liP^I'^^iA^^^/Pf'"  upon  the  printed 
sionary  fervor  Thosrwho  «,^^»  .  i*"  ""«nse  and  pure  mis- 
fairyland  ^romancefai^?„^t'  'o^now  more  of  India  (the 
^c^ces  and  la"bo?s  of  our  ti^teL'in'Jh',t^'•'"^V"'^^  ^"'^^»'« 
do  no  better  than  read  thTs  '^SI'^l'A'l't^^gr^';^  '"'* 

^  ^'^'^^"^o^  oi  Mis^ons.     By  Rev    E    M 
D.D.    '6mo,  cloth,  75  cents.    /«/#„/ 


Blis^ 


A 

ages, 
knowl 


i-;£$£'^^T.?-^£i7S.ag^^-^ 


I 


